Friday 7 October 2022
15:20
Scotland: Temporary measures for sinking NHS service
The Health Minister released a letter in September confirming that contract holders will receive temporary 'bridging' funding, following cessation of the multiplier, which operated at 1.3 for Q2. The bridging payments will be set at a rate of 1.2 for Q3, and just 1.1 for Q4 of FY 2022-23.
We will keep you updated as we continue to press home to the government the very simple truth that practice owners cannot afford to continue to operate NHS dentistry at a loss.
08:49
Blog: Fighting your corner in the NHS dentistry crisis
It is widely reported that patients are struggling to access NHS dental care across the UK. We have been working with media outlets on many of these stories, ensuring that your voice is front and centre throughout the ongoing debate.
In
his latest blog Martin Woodrow, BDA Chief Executive Officer, lays out the challenges and the conversations being had: "We have made the point to Government that the recently announced marginal changes to the NHS contract in England are wholly insufficient to meet its objectives in all these areas. There remains a need for real urgency. Our own surveys suggest that for every one dentist leaving, ten are reducing their NHS commitments by significant amounts."
The crisis currently facing NHS dentistry across the UK isn't going away any time soon. We will keep you updated as we work with the new Minister, Will Quince, to try and find a way ahead before it is too late.
Thursday 6 October 2022
17:13
England: Marginal changes update
NHS England has issued further information about the marginal changes which will be implemented from 1 October onwards.
In his latest blog Tom King, Head of Policy and Research, gives an overview of the package of measures: "NHS England rightly says that these marginal changes are the first significant change to the contract since 2006, but that is more an indictment of the failures of the last decade than it is an endorsement of this package."
The contract reform process cannot continue at its current glacial pace. We will keep you updated as we push for urgent action and real reforms.
12:11
Northern Ireland: Resumption of dental probity reviews
The Strategic Planning and Performance Group has confirmed that
Probity reviews will resume in Northern Ireland from November.
The reviews were previously suspended during the pandemic and, as before, the process involves a review of patient records to check fees paid with evidence of service provision.
Each quarter, several dentists will be
selected at random, or following analysis of payments by the Business Services Organisation.
Wednesday 5 October 2022
15:10
Wales: Below inflation pay awards impacting NHS dentistry
The recently announced
4.5% uplift of the General Dental Service (GDS) contract value is in line with the Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration Board's (DDRB) recommendations made in the late summer and backdated to April 2022. The uplift is subject to an agreement around the wider reform of the contract.
We are seeking clarification given that 19% of practices are on UDA-only contracts in this financial year. We are also waiting for an update on a possible additional element of NHS pay for the dental team following discussions with the Chief Dental Officer in the summer.
We have described the state of NHS dentistry in our
written evidence to the Senedd Health and Social Care Committee. We will be giving our verbal evidence to the committee later this month. Our messages are simple – invest in NHS dentistry for the future and ensure contract reform fairly remunerates dentists and the dental team.
10:26
England: Marginal changes update
NHS England has issued further information about the
marginal changes to be implemented from 1 October onwards.
From 1 October, amendments will be implemented to the FP17 to facilitate the submission of claims in relation to treatment completed by dental therapists and others. Where practices are wishing to make use of this, they should ensure that they have appropriate conversations with staff around competence, confidence, and any necessary training. DCPs should only undertake work that is within their scope of practice, which they are trained and competent to do.
Patients should be informed that they will not be seen by a dentist. Dentists and DCPs may wish to also consult their indemnity provider to ensure that proper arrangements are in place. BDA Extra and Expert members can contact our Advice Team for guidance.
There will also be changes to the FP17's clinical dataset to support the personalisation of recall intervals and the payment of additional UDAs for band 2 treatments. However, the payment of additional UDAs will not come into effect until regulatory changes are agreed by Parliament.
We will update members as soon as we have more information.
Tuesday 4 October 2022
11:23
CPD: Mental health in the workplace
Mental health conditions within dental teams are common, especially during periods of increased stress. The stigma attached to mental health continues in many modern workplaces, and a lot of people are unaware of how to tackle it.
Our
Mental Health in the Workplace course provides 3 hours of verifiable CPD and sets out the practical ways to create a compassionate environment for dental teams to support each other's mental health.
By completing the course, you will be equipped to understand the impact of mental health in the workplace and recognise the need to tackle stigma. You will also be able to spot the warning signs that a colleague is struggling so that you can offer them support at an early stage.
Monday 3 October 2022
10:57
Scotland: Supporting dental students
We were pleased to be hosted by
Glasgow and Dundee Dental School over the summer and have our first physical meeting with Scottish dental students since the start of the pandemic.
We gave talks on the recruitment process for Scottish Vocational Training, national recruitment for England, Northern Ireland, and Wales and our work in Scotland.
If you'd like us to visit your dental school, please email
marketing@bda.org.
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