BDA

Dentists challenge Jeremy Hunt to prove his mettle by investing in prevention

The British Dental Association has challenged Jeremy Hunt to put prevention at the heart of government’s NHS ‘birthday funding’ pledge, as dentists warn that a rush to reduce political pressure on hospital targets will fail to tackle the pressures facing the wider service.

In an open letter to the Health Secretary the dentists’ union has demanded clarity on investment in primary care and public health services, which appear conspicuous by their absence, stating that any settlement geared purely around chasing targets for acute care stands entirely at odds with the preventive philosophy set out in the Five Year Forward View.

It has sought clarity on issues around the government’s successive manifesto commitments to reform dental primary care services, its increasing over-reliance on patient charges, threats to training budgets, and its unwillingness to engage meaningfully on public health programmes.

The BDA has stressed that a new prevention-focused NHS contract will only now be viable if ministerial contributions taken out of service since 2012 are restored, to boost quality, access and time spent with patients. Recent figures have shown spending per head has fallen £41 to £36 per person in just five years. Recent evaluation reports have demonstrated prototypes currently being tested are not financially sustainable.

Dentist leaders have also urged the government to engage with modelling from Public Health England on the huge returns of investment yielded by spending on prevention, and requested details on plans for public health budgets for cash strapped local authorities. £1 spent on early years prevention programmes of supervised brushing yield £3.06 in savings after just five years.

Tooth decay remains the number one reason for child hospital admissions in the UK, with a growing number of children facing more than six-month waiting lists. The BDA has documented the multi-million-pound costs hospitals are now facing for failure to tackle tooth decay, a wholly preventable disease, on GP services, emergency and secondary care.

BDA Chair, Mick Armstrong, said: “If Ministers fail to invest in prevention in primary care and public health services they will be on the wrong side of their own strategy for the health service.

“It is wrongheaded to focus on cure over prevention, treating the symptoms but not the causes of the pressure on our NHS. More and more children face six-month waits for tooth extractions in hospital, but the solution cannot be throwing cash at the surgical workforce.

“This is about targeted investment. Reform of the failed NHS contract has reached an impasse, and the government’s stated goals of improving both access and prevention simply cannot be delivered on a standstill budget. To make this work all we need is the cash Ministers have quietly siphoned out of the service since 2012.

“The government’s own figures show a pound spent on preventing decay can yield three back in savings. Reducing exposure on hospital and emergency targets is politically useful, but it isn’t a sustainable or cost-effective basis for a healthcare strategy.”

A great buzz and valuable learning

Following a highly successful collaboration between the British Dental Conference and CloserStill Media, the British Dental Association and Dentistry Show 2018 has already received some amazing feedback.

Susie Sanderson OBE, President of the BDA, commented: “I thought the event had a great buzz about it and everyone I spoke to seemed to enjoy themselves enormously. This is important for me, as it demonstrates the coming together of dentistry. It’s something we previously achieved with the BDA Conference and I’m pleased that it has been perpetuated in the joint event. The collaboration of CloserStill Media and the BDA appeared to be greater than the sum of its parts, so we were really getting the best of both worlds.

“It was lovely to see the event busy the entire time. I learnt a huge amount from the sessions I chaired in the BDA Theatre, which were all full, with enthusiastic audiences that asked lots of questions. The speakers were very high quality and the theme was entirely appropriate for today’s dentistry. The Theatre delivered high class CPD that offered some very valuable learning for delegates.”

The British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show 2019 will take place on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 May at the Birmingham NEC, co-located with DTS.

Dental Awards winners revealed!

The prestigious Dental Awards event took place this evening (Friday) at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, celebrating the hard work, commitment and passion of hundreds of dental professionals from across the UK.

There were 21 different awards presented throughout the night, with around 10 finalists in each category. Below is a list of the winners, and the finalists that were chosen as Commended or Highly Commended.

Outstanding Achievement Award

Professor Liz Kay OBE

 

Best National Smile Month Event

Winner – University of Glasgow Dental School

Highly Commended – Boundaries for Life

 

Dentist of the Year

Winner – Gary Stacey

Highly Commended – Patrik Zachrisson

Commended – Andrew Taylor

 

Young Dentist of the Year – South

Winner – Andrew Wilson

Highly Commended – Andre Faro Leite

Commended – Kamil Ahmed

 

Young Dentist of the Year – North & Central

Winner – Affan Saghir

Highly Commended – Nigel Parkash

Commended – Michael Hicks

 

National Young Dentist of the Year

Winner – Andrew Wilson

 

Dental Therapist of the Year

Winner – Amy Hills

Highly Commended – Suzanne Morton

 

Dental Hygienist of the Year

Winner – Jocelyn Harding

Highly Commended – Gulab Singh

Highly Commended – Renate Putrus

 

Website & Digital Campaign of the Year

Winner – Narberth & Herbrandston Dental Practices

Highly Commended – London Hygienist

 

Dental Nurse of the Year – South

Winner – Rebecca Silver

Highly Commended – Alisha Shaw

 

Dental Nurse of the Year – North & Central

Winner – Joanne Speight

Highly Commended – Catriona Thornton

 

National Dental Nurse of the Year

Winner – Joanne Speight

 

Dental Practice of the Year – South

Winner – Pure Periodontics

Highly Commended – Bow Lane Dental Group

 

Dental Practice of the Year – North & Central

Winner – Andrea Uhbi Dentistry

Highly Commended – Revive Dental Care

 

National Dental Practice of the Year

Winner – Pure Periodontics

 

Dental Practice Manager of the Year

Winner – Lesley Holden

Highly Commended – Hannah Haines

Highly Commended – Mariana Sadowska

 

Dental Practice Team of the Year – South

Winner – Imogen Dental

Highly Commended – The Wessex Dental Specialist Centre

Highly Commended – Wensleydale Dental Practice

 

Dental Practice Team of the Year – North & Central

Winner – Andrea Ubhi Dentistry

Highly Commended – Sharoe Green Dental Practice

Highly Commended – New Road Dental

 

National Dental Practice Team of the Year

Winner – Andrea Ubhi Dentistry

 

Dental Practice Design & Interiors

Winner – Sorriso Dentistry

Highly Commended – Novos Dental Clinic

Commended – The Sandford

Commended – Happy Kids Dental

 

Dental Receptionist of the Year

Winner – Emma Hobbs

Highly Commended – Sarah Singleton

 

Huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists this year!

Susie Sanderson inaugurated as BDA President

Susie Sanderson OBE, a leading figure in national and international dental politics, was installed yesterday (10 May) as the President of the British Dental Association (BDA), succeeding Peter Dyer. In a break with tradition, the presidential inauguration took place for the first time at the BDA’s head office at 64 Wimpole Street, London.

This is not the only first for Susie, since she was also the first female dentist to be elected to the high-profile position of chair of the BDA’s Executive Board (this preceded the current Principal Executive Committee). She served the maximum six-year term and combined her BDA duties with working as a general dental practitioner in Yorkshire.

Susie’s work on behalf of the dental profession has also been recognised internationally, on both the European and global stages, playing key roles at the Council of European Dentists and the FDI-World Dental Federation. Respected for her leadership on many thorny issues of the day, including antimicrobial resistance, amalgam, and professional regulation, last year she was elected speaker of the FDI General Assembly.1

A distinguished career in dental politics has also seen her serve the profession at local level. She is a previous chair of Sheffield Local Dental Committee and in 2004 was elected chair of the annual conference of Local Dental Committees.

In her inauguration address, Susie Sanderson highlighted the similarities between dentists’ experience wherever they worked, be it in the UK, in Europe or beyond. Common to all, she said, are the tensions between personal professional accountability and the perverse incentives set out by health authorities.

Referring to the BDA’s 2017 manifesto, Putting Prevention First, she urged governments to get a grip on the oral health agenda, and pointed out the paradigm shift in modern caries management to the minimally invasive approach which contrasts with the staggering numbers of children who are admitted to hospital for multiple extractions for tooth decay at staggering costs to the NHS.

She said she couldn’t understand how this shift in treatment could be delivered if there continues to be a governmental intransigence in investing properly in NHS dentistry and in the wider public and oral health agendas.

Commenting on her inauguration, Susie said: “I am immensely privileged, honoured and not a little humbled to accept the responsibility of the Presidency of the British Dental Association.

“And I do see it as a responsibility which I will fulfil as fully as I possibly can during this very important year. I intend to make my Association proud and look forward to meeting as many members and future members as I can.”

Susie Sanderson is the BDA’s 132nd President and the Presidential term runs for a year.

  1. The General Assembly is the supreme legislative and governing body of the FDI, which brings together the worldwide dental profession to provide one voice for dentistry in addressing the international challenge of improving global oral health.

Dental neglect: Children falling through the cracks in “siloed health service”

The BDA has renewed its call for a joined-up strategy on children’s oral health, as new research reveals that GPs are not given the time or training to spot the tell-tale signs of dental neglect.1

The study, published in the British Dental Journal, surveyed all GPs in the Isle of Wight about their awareness and perceptions of dental health care in the identification of abuse. Among these family doctors, usually the first point of contact with the NHS, the majority had never liaised with a dentist. 96 per cent of respondents had never received any formal dental training and some did not perceive dental health to be important. Only five GPs mentioned a link between a lack of dental registration and childhood neglect and no GPs worked at clinics where child dental registration status was recorded.

Dental neglect is a marker of child neglect. It was defined in 2009 in the UK as “the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic oral health needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of a child’s oral or general health or development.” The research demonstrates that GPs lack time, training and confidence to identify dental neglect during routine examination of the oropharynx, and lack awareness of dental neglect as a potential marker of wider systemic neglect.

The study also notes that the sheer ubiquity of dental neglect within the general population may have desensitised many health practitioners to its wider social and health consequences, and blurred the lines between neglect and economic deprivation.

Official data shows that 41.8 per cent of children in England had not been to see a dentist for a check-up in the 12 months up to June 2017. Tooth decay remains the number one reason for hospital admissions among children across the UK. The BDA believes that progress can only be achieved by breaking down silos across the health service, along with co-ordinated and properly funded public health interventions.

The BDA’s Chair of General Dental Practice, Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, said: “Tooth decay can be a tell-tale sign of abuse or neglect, and many children are falling through the cracks in a siloed health service. GPs bear an enormous burden and it cannot fall to them to ‘multitask’, when government is failing to deal with the problem.

“Tooth decay is the number one reason for child hospital admissions, but dentists are not seeing those at most risk early enough to make a difference. Poverty, neglect or ignorance can be huge barriers to good oral health, and we desperately need joined-up policymaking to tackle them.

“Oral health has such a low profile that it is not surprising that awareness of its importance is low in other parts of the NHS. When we face an epidemic of decay, dentistry can’t be left in a corner. Without meaningful engagement in education, in media and across the health service we simply cannot expect progress.”

  1. See: Colgan, S.M et al (2018). ‘Bridging the gap’ – A survey of medical GPs’ awareness of child dental neglect as a marker of potential systemic child neglect, The British Dental Journal, published 11 May 2018

BDA heralds potential breakthrough on GDPR

Following months of lobbying the British Dental Association has welcomed news that Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine has tabled its suggested amendments [1] to the Data Protection Bill to save primary care providers from needless financial burdens.

The simple change would specifically exempt small NHS providers from the costly burden of appointing a dedicated Data Protection Officer (DPO). The BDA has been working closely with partners at the Optical Confederation, the National Pharmacy Association and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, urging both government and opposition MPs to exempt dentists, pharmacists and opticians from this expensive and unnecessary new requirement.

Primary care leaders have argued that the current draft Bill goes well beyond the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which does not require health providers to appoint a DPO unless they process healthcare data “on a large scale”.

Most high street NHS primary care providers do not process data on a large scale, but are set to be covered by this onerous new duty by virtue of being defined by UK legislation as “public bodies”. The BDA has estimated that outsourcing this service may well cost even the smallest practices in excess of £5,000, with some members reporting quotes from potential contractors of over £10,000 a year. Amendments will be considered at the Bill’s Report Stage, which is likely to take place in the second week of May [2].

News comes as primary care leaders have written again to the Department for Culture Media and Sport, urging Secretary of State Matt Hancock to change tack.

BDA Chair, Mick Armstrong, said: “We have been making the argument for a simple amendment that would protect small NHS providers who were never meant to be captured by these regulations.

“We want to thank Christine Jardine MP for her support. This common sense move wouldn’t cost taxpayers a penny, is non-controversial and nonpartisan, and remains entirely consistent with the stated intentions of the GDPR.

“This small change can make a big difference, saving hard-pressed high street health providers from needless pain. Together with our partners across primary care we urge parliamentarians on both sides of the house to offer their support.”

[1] https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2017-2019/0190/amend/data_rm_rep_0424.8-14.html

Clause 7, page 5, line 24, after “subsections” insert “(1A),”.                                                  

Clause 7, page 5, line 24, at end insert—

“(1A)

A primary care service provider is not a “public authority” or “public body” for the purposes of the GDPR merely by virtue of the fact that it is defined as a public authority by either—

(a) any of paragraphs 43A to 45A or paragraph 51 of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, or

(b) any of paragraphs 33 to 35 of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 13).”

[2] https://services.parliament.uk/Bills/2017-19/dataprotection.html

Peter Dyer re-elected as BDA Chair of hospital dentists

Peter Dyer, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, has been re-elected as the Chair of the British Dental Association’s Central Committee for Hospital Dental Services (CCHDS) for the 2018/2020 triennium, having first being elected in 2015.

Peter was appointed consultant in oral and maxillofacial surgery to the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust in 1998 with a special interest in trauma and orthognathics. He has worked as the medical director for the Trust and is the responsible officer for overseeing the appraisal and revalidation of medical staff.

He was closely involved in the development of the new dental school at the University of Central Lancashire and also with the new medical school at Lancaster University. He co-edited the Handbook of Immediate Care and has contributed chapters about dento-facial trauma in a number of textbooks. As hospital dentists are employed on the same terms of service as doctors, Peter led the BDA’s response to the junior doctors’ contract dispute and was determined to secure a contract that is both safe for patients and practitioners alike.

In recognition of his major contribution to dentistry, the BDA and in reducing artificial barriers between primary and secondary care, Peter was appointed as the union’s president whose term expires next month.

Thanking CCHDS members for electing him to the office of chair, Peter said: “The profession is currently facing significant challenges, not least the new trainee contract needs to be implemented fairly, and ditto any changes to the consultant contract.

“It’s frustrating too that the long-recognised need to create a no-blame culture in hospitals, akin to the airline industry, has been undermined by the questionable handling by all those involved in the Bawa Garba case.

“How long more do we have to wait for a culture that promotes learning from mistakes rather than penalising individuals for systemic failures that place patients at risk? Let us hope that this sad case will be a tipping point and we will start to see a paradigm shift in attitudes and behaviours of regulators.

“It’s also unclear how hospital dental departments will be affected when the latest model for commissioning services – Integrated Care Systems [formerly called the Sustainability and Transformation Plans] – comes into play.

“Health Education England’s proposals to radically change the way dentists are trained have not only set alarm bells ringing in the dental community, they also fail to consider the knock-on effects to hospital dental services and the patients we serve.

“Our committee will also be working hard to address the anomalous routes for entry to the GDC’s specialist register for clinicians who have not undertaken formal training. The regulator’s current process is not as transparent as the GMC’s for the medical and surgical specialties.”

The Vice-Chair, Pete Brotherton, was also re-elected, having been elected himself in 2015.