Updates from week commencing 31 October 2022

Friday 4 November 2022

16:37

England: Additional UDAs for some band two treatments to apply from 25 November

NHS England has confirmed that the changes to the UDA allocation for some band two treatments should apply from 25 November. Courses of treatment opened from this date onwards that involve filling or extracting three or more teeth and/or non-molar endodontics will attract 5 UDAs and those involving molar endodontics will attract 7 UDAs.

Changes have already been made to the FP17 to record the information necessary to pay these additional UDAs. Courses of treatment will be allocated to the new sub-divisions of band two based on the clinical information submitted to the NHSBSA. Therefore, it is important that the information submitted is accurate and comprehensive to ensure that the correct UDA allocation is made.

Regulations to bring these into effect were laid in Parliament today and will now be subject to legislative scrutiny, but this is unlikely to impede them being agreed to for implementation later in the month.

16:06

Students: BDA Benevolent Fund survey

The 2022 BDA Benevolent Fund survey for students aims to better understand you and your financial and wellbeing needs.

The research asks about the issues you may be facing or have faced whilst at university and what support is available.

By completing the survey, you will have a chance of winning one of three £100 cash prizes.

12:40

Northern Ireland: BDJ features in the JIDA

Dr Stephen Hancocks, BDJ editor, features in an interview in the latest edition of the Journal of the Irish Dental Association.

The interview discusses the challenges of being a dental journal editor, a role Stephen has held since 2004, as well as his career path from practising dentistry and transitioning into writing.

The BDJ celebrates its 150^th anniversary this year with special covers commissioned to illustrate the republication of the most significant papers from the journal's history.

11:17

NHS webinar: Digital and AI transformation

The next webinar in Health Education England's DART-Ed programme will focus on how digital technology is transforming the delivery of dentistry in the future.

Digital and AI transformation in dentistry will cover digital readiness, as well as demonstrating the potential role of AI in the future. The panel will include:

• Sam Shah (chair) - Chief Medical Strategy Officer, Numan and Digital Health Research Lead, UCL Global Business School for Health
• Andrew Dickenson - Chief Dental Officer for Wales
• Dr. Hatim Abdulhussein - National Clinical Lead - AI and Digital Medical Workforce, Health Education England

The session takes place on 1 December, and you can register to secure your place online.

Thursday 3 November 2022

13:08

Raising awareness of oral cancer

We are encouraging dentists and teams to raise awareness of oral cancers with patients throughout Mouth Cancer Action Month.

We have a range of resources available to support you with this, such as our free oral cancer toolkit in partnership with Cancer Research UK, journals, CPD and eBooks.

Further your knowledge on detection and educate your patients on what to look out for.

11:01

England: Clarity on IPC guidelines for aprons

The September update to the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual for England has caused some confusion around which procedures require wearing an apron.

Appendix 5a states that an apron should be worn when exposure to blood or body fluids, mucous membranes, or non-intact skin is anticipated but no risk of splashing or spraying. This could be interpreted as meaning that aprons are required during routine examinations.

The Chief Dental Officer has clarified that this appendix refers to the risk of exposure to the healthcare workers uniform, rather than the healthcare worker. This would be unlikely during an examination, so aprons would not be expected to be worn routinely during such a procedure.

Wednesday 2 November 2022

15:59

Calls result in government action on pension tax

Recent price inflation levels have been set to cause increased exposure of Annual Allowance pensions tax for dentists in the NHS Pension Scheme. In response to our lobbying, the Government has announced proposed pension changes to seek to mitigate the tax exposure.

Whilst the proposed change is not the one that we were advocating, it is encouraging that there is an intention to fix the issue. We are trying to get further information on the technical detail of the proposal and to understand and protect against any undesirable consequences.

Our briefing sets out the headline impact of the Government proposal. It also contains useful information about Annual Allowance statements that will currently be landing with members.

14:36

Northern Ireland: Dentistry between a rock and a hard place

We have been analysing the time and costs associated with providing NHS treatments, and the bottom line is that the provision of solely NHS care will lead many practices into financial failure.

In her latest blog, Ciara Gallagher, Chair of the Northern Ireland Dental Practice Committee, explores the issues: "The recent decision by the Minister for Health to disregard soaring costs within practices sends the clearest sign yet that balancing Department of Health books is taking priority over ensuring a future for NHS dentistry."

There is support available to help you navigate between the rock and hard place to find a balance that works. For your career, your future, your profession, there are resources available to make sure you stay on track.

13:17