Friday 10 March 2023
12:25
BDA Good Practice: Our quality assurance scheme
Do you own or work for a dental practice operating in the United Kingdom and want to learn more about BDA Good Practice?
Our
quality assurance scheme allows its members to communicate to patients an ongoing commitment to working to standards of good practice on professional and legal responsibilities. Members have access to advice and
practice resources, exclusive courses to help grow a confident team, marketing materials to promote your practice, templates to help you engage with your patient base and to obtain positive reviews and much more.
Subscribe to our mailing list, to learn more about the scheme or contact
goodpractice@bda.org and someone from the team will get in touch.
Thursday 9 March 2023
17:33
Northern Ireland: Vital support maintained but further action required
A letter from the
Department today has confirmed that the fee enhancements for high street NHS dentists under the Rebuilding Support Scheme will continue into the first quarter of the 2023/24 financial year.
We acknowledge the efforts made to maintain vital financial support for the struggling service however continued support will be required beyond June.
The Enhanced Children's Examination Fee implemented in January carries over for another three months into Q1 but will then cease.
16:17
HLA Scholars Programme for dentists
Dentists and dental students are eligible for the Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA) Scholars Programme. The HLA is a Health Education England-funded non-profit organisation running an annual 12-month extra-curricular programme to train the future leaders of the NHS.
This year
full scholarships worth £3,000 are available. The application process is competitive, but if successful you will gain access to a wealth of resources, training, and development opportunities.
The course is delivered physically and virtually with both groups benefitting from everything the HLA has to offer. The in-person sessions are based in London, Newcastle, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast, Leeds, and Amsterdam.
10:51
Northern Ireland CPD Dental Sleep Medicine event postponed
Due to the forecasted severe weather warning, The Northern Ireland Branch has decided to postpone the CPD event "Wake up to Dental Sleep Medicine… Changing lives with every breath".
The new event will take place on Thursday 30 March and all previous bookings will be carried across.
We have emailed all delegates, and Northern Ireland members will be provided with an update shortly.
Wednesday 8 March 2023
15:27
Celebrate No Smoking Day
Today marks
No Smoking Day, the annual awareness day created to help people trying to quit smoking.
Smoking is one of the leading causes of oral cancer. While they are some of the most preventable cancers, with 90% of cases being avoidable, the number of cases continues to rise across the UK.
We are proud to have signed up with the ASH Scotland charter for No Smoking Day. If you are interested in taking part, they have produced a
resource pack to help celebrate the day and raise awareness. For additional information, you can email
comms@ashscotland.org.uk.
14:51
Northern Ireland: Updated IPC Guidance
The Public Health Agency has
advised that the Infection Prevention and Control Measures for Covid-19 in Health and Care Settings Guidance published in May 2022
has been updated.
Significant areas applicable to dental care settings include:
- A return to the application of standard and transmission-based precautions when dealing with respiratory illnesses
- Hierarchy of Controls can be used to help implement effective controls and reduce spread of respiratory pathogens
- The recommendation for universal masking in all health and social care settings has been removed.
10:14
Business continuity during difficult weather
With snow making conditions challenging in several areas there are a couple of points practices should bear in mind.
Ensuring you are prepared with a rigorous and refreshed business continuity plan is important to help you provide a smooth service during any disruption. Make sure the following is known:
- Who staff and performers should contact if they are unable to get to work
- Who will be able to open the practice during the disruption
- Which staff members have circumstances which may make it difficult for them to attend work if there is widespread disruption
- Who can be called on with short notice to fill spots on a rota
- What provisions are there locally to grit roads and provide access and how snow will be dealt with on your physical premises
- How the practice will deal with cancellation and potential reduced capacity
Our advice for business continuity planning
and Expert Template
can help you with this process. There will be some instances where it is not possible open the practice if it is unsafe to do so. In these instances, force majeure applications should be made to your local commissioners within 5 days but sooner where possible. It is important to note that practices are expected to plan for weather disruption and maintain a service.
08:58
Celebrating International Women’s Day
This International Women’s Day we are recognising the women who have been tirelessly working to make positive change and celebrating their contributions to the continuing development of the profession.
We have made great strides as a profession. There are now more female dental practitioners than male, with even a greater number of female graduates entering the profession.
You can find out more about the history of dentistry from our library and museum, covering everything from 'quacking aphrodites' to 'petticoat practitioners' and learn more about
dentistry’s female pioneers and their
untold stories.
Tuesday 7 March 2023
15:40
BDJ: student debt and selective caries removal
The latest BDJ issue explores student debt, dental contracts, and minimally invasive selective caries removal.
Articles include:
12:33
Updated advice section: Infection controlWe have updated our
advice section on infection control
, providing an overview of the requirements you must follow to meet the recommendations relevant to the country where you practice.
The advice covers:
- Best practice
- Precautions you must take to manage the risk of infection
- Staff training
- Decontamination
- Practical advice for adverse incidents and routine procedures.
If you would like to access our full range of advice, find out more about
becoming a member.
Monday 6 March 2023
16:44
Wales: Sounding the alarm - letter to Senedd health committee
We have
written to Russell George MS, Chair of the Senedd Health Committee spelling out that if the political tide does not turn as a matter of urgency, the NHS dental service will become hollowed out. Our letter has been included in the health committee's
agenda for 9 March.
In our letter, Chair of the Welsh General Dental Practice Committee, Russell Gidney has stated the dire situation this financial year and the urgent need to improve the clawback situation. Practices should not be expected to take on unreasonable financial risks while trialling untested metrics. He has sounded the alarm that contract reform is not working in its current form and provided key findings from our recent survey of 250 dentists.
Your support is crucial as we move forward, thank you to everyone who has responded to our surveys so far. We will keep you updated with further news and surveys. The WGDPC open webinar on Tuesday 7 March will explore the key issues in contract reform and provide a forum for questions and polls –
book now to secure your place.
09:02
England: Half of dentists cut NHS commitment with more to follow
The results of our latest member survey are front page news today.
Over half of dentists in England (50.3%) report reducing NHS commitments since the start of the pandemic - with 74% now stating an intention to reduce - or further reduce - NHS work.
We know the access crisis is a workforce crisis. And our analysis of government data shows that unmet need for dentistry has hit 11m people in 2022 – or 1 in 4 of the adult population.
Thanks to our members we can see the depth of the crisis facing NHS dentistry in England. This intel will form a key part of the case we make to the Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry.
