BADN meets with DHSC on Dental Recovery plan
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 12th February 2024
The British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN), the UK’s professional association for dental nurses, met on 9 February 2024 with representatives of the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) to discuss the recently launched Dental Recovery Plan.
BADN’s Honorary President, Joan Hatchard, and Chief Exec Pam Swain met with DHSC officials to discuss BADN’s concerns that the Plan did not adequately address the current recruitment and retention crisis in dental nursing.
Mrs. Hatchard explained fully to the DHSC representatives that increasing the number of clinicians, introducing dental vans and oral health programmes and various other schemes outlined in the Plan, just would not be possible without also increasing the number of dental nurses in the NHS. This involved not only provision for training new dental nurses, but also measures to keep dental nurses in the profession; the recent survey by Dr Debbie Reed showed that many dental nurses were disillusioned by low pay, lack of career development and lack of support and recognition by employers, and were leaving the profession.
Mrs. Hatchard outlined various initial steps towards remedying this: increasing dental nurse salaries to a realistic level for registered healthcare professionals, tax relief on CPD costs for employees, recognition by the NHS of those dental nurses working in NHS practices giving them access to the benefits enjoyed by NHS staff (salary scales, access to the NHS pension scheme, NHS ID) – leading to a culture change in dentistry whereby dental nurses were recognised as valued members of the dental team and supported by employers.
DHSC officials have agreed to speak at a forthcoming BADN Coffee CatchUp on the Dental Recovery Plan and how it affects dental nurses. More information will be released in due course inviting dental nurses to register for the Coffee CatchUp.
