dentistry

Examining what the Chancellor’s Summer Statement 2020 means for dentistry

Michael Lansdell is a founding partner at specialist dental and medical accountants Lansdell & Rose and a chartered accountant. Here, he discusses the main points from the Chancellor’s Summer Statement delivered on 8 July, which outlined new measures to support business and workers.

Rishi Sunak’s Spring Budget was on 11 March, just two weeks before large parts of the economy were shut down completely. Now, four months later, your practice may have reopened and hopefully you are feeling positive, proactive, and prepared for whatever might come your way. Here’s a brief guide to the Summer Statement and which of the interventions could be of particular interest to practice owners and dental professionals.

Furloughed workers

If you are a dental practice owner who has furloughed staff, you will probably already know that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is being phased down starting from August, when more of the cost of furloughing will be passed onto the employer. The CJRS has already been extended twice, but the Chancellor confirmed he still intends for it to finish in October, as planned.

What is new is a Job Retention Bonus in the form of a one-off £1,000 payment, for every employee you bring back and who remains continuously employed until the end of January 2021 (you’ll get your bonus from February onwards). Any furloughed individual you return to work must earn more than £520 a month, on average between the end of the CJRS and the 31 January.

Work placements, trainees, and apprentices

There are to be new payment bonuses attached to employers who offer the above, which could all certainly be of interest to practice owners and enrich your workplace for a multitude of reasons. First is the Kickstart Scheme, which aims to provide new, six-month, quality work placements for young people aged 16-24. Government funding for each job will cover employers’ costs, including 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus employer NICs and minimum automatic enrolment contributions.

There will also be bonuses for employers who offer traineeships/work placements for 16-24-year olds and for those who hire new apprentices – for every new apprenticeship, you could receive up to £2,000.

A Stamp Duty showstopper

This announcement was the headline grabber; the UK housing market had – unsurprisingly – ground to a near-halt in the first half of the year. So, as had been widely expected, from 8 July – 31 March 2021, there is to be a temporary cut on Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on residential property in England and Northern Ireland, increasing the zero-rate band to £500,000 with all bands being revised. For additional properties, or corporate residential properties of over £40,000 though, you’ll still need to add 3% to the relevant SDLT rates.

To sum up…

Generally, we’re all now wanting to regain lost ground from lockdown and, of course, the current picture will also look different from wherever you are in the UK. We might feel that we’re facing the great unknown, but although things might “seem” different, a successful business is always one that has been built on sensible and solid practises, protocols and processes, and is able to adapt and respond intelligently to changing and challenging circumstances.

What I do know is that at Lansdell & Rose, our dental clients are very happy to be back at work! We offer a full portfolio of accountancy services and will also give you specialist, quality advice with business support and planning for now and the future.

From the very start of the pandemic, those who adopted a confident and decisive approach have stood out from the rest and this is what every dental practice owner and dental professional who wants to gain the maximum benefit from their business and optimise their personal finance, should be aiming to achieve.

For more information please visit www.lansdellrose.co.uk.

How is the ‘New Dawn’ affecting the Dental Profession?

Jonathan Jacobs, Head of Healthcare and Dental Law at Prosperity Law Solicitors, provides a summary of the latest developments insofar as a return to dentistry is concerned.

As the dental profession begins to wake up again after almost three months in slumber, there are many burning questions that will need to be addressed. Some relate to how dental practices will be permitted to operate whilst at the same time ensuring that there is adherence to being Safe, Caring, Responsive, Efficient and Well-led and others relate to the financial impact that compliance with these principles will have on the economics of dentistry as a business.

As many of you will know, over the course of the 13 weeks since lockdown, there have been many discussions, some of these at a very high level and which have resulted in several letters of preparedness being issued by the Chief Dental Officer, meetings of the hierarchy of general dental practice and postings between practitioners in the many social media groups that already existed and which have been formed to deal with the present situation.

It is not the purpose of this article to try and distinguish between NHS and private dentistry. Practitioners in both spheres have been markedly affected by the closure of all dental practice on 25th March 2020.

Hark back to the letter of preparedness of 25th March 2020 in which the CDO confirmed that payments to NHS contract holders under the GDS contract were to be maintained at 1/12 monthly instalments on the understanding that there would be an abatement to take into account lower overheads during the period of lockdown (the amount of which is yet to be decided) and that Principal Dentists would maintain levels of pay to all Performers, Locums, DCPs and other staff whilst at the same time allowing those who wish to be furloughed to do so and those who wish to be redeployed to the “front line” to be so seconded if that was their wish.

At that time, and indeed even at the time of my writing, there has been no decision formally announced as to what , if anything is to happen as regards the performance of the many GDS contracts that have now restarted after having an “extended holiday”.

We know that measures were put in place to account for the fact that March 2020 was an extremely fallow month in terms of performance and that practitioners could choose to either start the last NHS contract year on 1st March 2019 and run through until 29th February 2020 or could begin the year on 1st April 2019 and end it on 29th February 2020, taking an average of a 3 month UDA performance to act as the 12th month.

Why then, has it been the case in some instances that Principals have attempted to suspend payments to Performers and Locums or to attempt to significantly reduce these, despite the practice being paid as normal?

The BDA has suggested that where, as a result of Covid-19, a practice is struggling financially and a Performer is not being properly remunerated, the Principal should discuss the situation with the Performer and both parties should reach an agreement as to how this should be dealt with. For the Principal to impose a material change on a Performer is a breach of the terms of engagement with the Performer and could very well lead to a dispute between them.

Even given the fact that practices are now preparing to re-open if they have not done so already, with deep cleaning happening, fallow time between patients, and attempts being made to secure the necessary PPE in order to practice safely, issues between Principal and Performer will not disappear simply as a result of being back in work.

In the NHS, Principals are arguing that they will receive an abated payment from NHS England and so should only have to pay an abated fee to the Performer. Not so. It was made clear that continued receipt of the monthly contract payments would only happen if the Principal gave assurances that Performers and Locums would continue to be paid in full at pre-Covid levels.

It is imperative that any disagreements are resolved if a smooth transition into “New Dentistry” is to be achieved. Any disputes that are left festering and unresolved may well end in mediation proceedings, which, if not successful, will lead to litigation.

However, at the root of the current situation is the fact that the guidelines that were laid out in the CDO’s Letter of Preparedness on 25th March 2020 are simply not fit for purpose and appear to have been rushed through as a knee-jerk reaction to the endemic problems that NHS dentistry was likely to face if nothing was done.

Why are they not fit for purpose? Quite simply, because they did not carry any penal consequences to the contract holders should payments not be made as expected. All that the guidelines stated were as follows:

  • That NHS England would continue to make the 1/12 monthly payments under the GDS contract;
  • That all staff including performers, locums, DCPS and staff were to receive their pre-Covid pay;
  • That staff were to be made available for redeployment or could be furloughed if necessary;
  • That there would be some abatement to take account of the reduction in overheads

Whilst most Principals may be heeding these guidelines, a number of situations have arisen showing that there are flagrant breaches being committed. For example:

  • A Principal changing the locks on their surgery and refusing a Performer access;
  • Reduction in a performer’s pay by 65%;
  • Termination of a performer’s contract without notice;
  • Forcing a locum to accept a position as a performer with a 2-year lock-in or relinquish their position;
  • Deduction of performer’s pay to take account of practice overheads
  • New jobs for performers terminated or UDA payments drastically reduced to current levels of activity instead of pre-Covid levels (just because the performer has not historic NPE figures)

Performers are paid based on their Net Pensionable Earnings (NPE). NPE takes account of lab expenses, the statutory levy to NHS England. It is not an opportunity for Principals to deduct monies from Performers and Locums without agreement. Despite the BDA suggesting that an appropriate reduction in pay should be made, the Principal has a contract with both NHS England and with the Performer and to do so without agreement places the Principal in breach of contract on both counts.

The problem is that NHS England did not properly think through the consequences of non-compliance with the guidelines of 25th March and in many cases the Principals have used the continued funding as a means of supporting their own loss of income without consideration for the dentists who keep their practices running and patients happy. Not great economic sense given that dentistry is a business!

However, the resolution of the issue goes deeper than that. Due to the fact that these are guidelines and not legislation, they can only be recommended, not enforced. Failure to follow them is, currently, not capable of any penalty and this might explain the conduct of many practice owners in the way Performers and Locums are being treated.

NHS England have been approached and are disinterested, claiming that they will not get involved as the disputes are contractual between Principal and Performer/Locum Dentist and outside their remit. The BDA are unwilling to support the Performers who form the vast majority of their membership and who have been quite happy to pay their annual fees but now do not quite know why.

My firm has been approached by the National Association of Dental Associates, a group of dental performers and locums who have been adversely affected by what can only be described as unscrupulous Principals, who have failed to appreciate the much needed support given to them by NHS England and the importance of their roles as practice owners in maintaining harmony and morale at their respective practices.

The group, under the Facebook name “Dentists, Associates”, have set up a funding page at https://gf.me/u/x9m48r and this is their message below. They are looking to the profession to support their cause by donating to the fighting fund.

Who are we?

We are Performer and Locum Dentists at NHS dental practices that stopped treating patients face to face on the 25th March 2020 at the direction of NHS England.

Our case

From 25.03.2020 the profession adopted the guidance of the CDO which prohibited all performer dentists and locum from performing routine and emergency dental treatments in England.
In a bid to ease the obvious financial worries that this would cause, the CDO set out guidelines for GDS contract holders to continue to receive their 1/12 monthly payments on the condition that all staff, performers (including locums) were paid at pre Covid levels.

Abatement was referred to as lab expenses and overheads would be significantly reduced but as yet no figure has been confirmed and in any event this would not have impacted on a performer dentist’s pay.

We are raising funds to initiate a legal challenge to compensate all NHS performer and locum dentists for the losses suffered during the enforced period of closure and to seek a revision of the NHSE guidelines to include penalties for Principals who have failed to pay dentists their full entitlement.

What are we trying to achieve?

We feel that none of the bodies representing the profession have sufficiently protected the interests of locums or performers. We want those dentists to be compensated for losses sustained at the hands of the GDS contract holders and for NHSE to see that the current guidelines are not fit for purpose.

What is the next step in the case?

We have instructed Prosperity Law, a law firm who specialise in dental legal cases to take matters forward and to seek the advice of a leading Barrister as to the merits of any action.

How much we are raising and why?

We want to raise £10,000.00 at this stage to allow sufficient funds to instruct lawyers, obtain the barristers advice and draft the documents necessary in order to raise a legal challenge to the NHS England guidelines and separately, to enable dental performers to pursue their Principals.

If you are a dentist who is likely to benefit as result of this action, a contribution of £50 at least would help get the ball rolling as soon as possible if it is within your means.”

It will only be with the required support that change can be effected. The reality that neither NHS England nor the BDA seem willing to assist, leaves the dental professionals themselves with little alternative than to fight the cause for themselves.

For more information, Shazia Kalsoom (Shazia.kalsoom1@nhs.net) and Robert Jamieson (jamieson06@btinternet.com) are the dentists coordinating the effort. Jonathan Jacobs can be reached at jonathan.jacobs@prosperitylaw.com.

Dentists: Skeleton dental service going back to work at a fraction of pre-Covid capacity

There will be no return to ‘business as usual’ for dentistry as a little over a third (36%) of England’s practices prepare to reopen on Monday 8 June, at a fraction of their pre-pandemic capacity, a new poll for the British Dental Association (BDA) shows.

Evidence gathered from over 2,000 practices in England suggests:

  • The majority (over 60%) of dental practices estimate they will be able to treat less than quarter of the patient numbers they saw pre-Covid.
  • Barely 15% are in position to offer a full range of treatment, with capacity to offer Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGPs), using high speed instruments that constitute the majority of activity.
  • Key drivers include PPE shortages, with only 1/3 of practices having PPE to hand to provide face-to-face care, and only 25% reporting they have been fit tested to use them.
  • Dentists have also indicated other barriers with a high impact on their plans for reopening, including emerging from cash flow problems (78%), difficulties getting practices ready for social distancing (63%), and access to childcare (40%) – where failure to offer necessary clarity on their key worker status has seen children turned away from schools and nurseries.   

While over 80% of practices expect to reopen to some level by the end of June, major constraints will remain on the service. Decontamination and social distancing policies mean longer treatment slots, with surgeries sometimes sitting fallow between patients – leaving many practices unable to maintain their financial viability in the face of fewer patients and higher costs. 

The BDA has said these grim findings underline the need for support from government. It has called for immediate clarification on key worker status for dental team members, and action on PPE supplies.

Dental practices are among the only businesses on the high street still paying business rates, with even the bookmakers receiving rates relief. Sector leaders have also called for vital support like the furlough scheme – that 80% of practices have made use of – not to be pulled away prematurely when levels of clinical activity remain so low. 

BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said: “Anyone expecting dentistry to magically return on Monday will find only a skeleton service. Those practices reopening now face fewer patients and higher costs and will struggle to meet demand. Dentists returning to work still lack the support offered to our neighbours on the high street, and even clarity on key worker status when it comes to childcare. Ministers must change tack if dentistry is going to survive the new normal.”

The BDA poll covered dental practices in England, with 2,053 respondents (over a fifth of the estimated total of 10,000 practices). Fieldwork was completed between 1-4 June 2020.

Megan Fairhall encourages her peers to take risks during Smile Revolution podcast appearance

Ten years ago, Megan Fairhall qualified from the University of Portsmouth with a degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy. She went straight into private practice, predominantly carrying out hygiene work. Pretty soon Megan started to feel a little bit frustrated by the monotony of her day job, and wanted more from her career.

Five years later, Megan started developing her brand #Livetosmile brand. As she explains in a podcast interview with Victoria Wilson:

“I saw that social media was transforming a lot of industries and at that point not a lot of people in dentistry were utilising these channels. So I started building my own brand and talking about tooth whitening and cleaning treatments, so that patients could contact me directly and come to the practice to see me, which meant I no longer had to purely rely on referrals from the practice I was already working at”.

When developing the plans for her campaign Megan wanted to create a lifestyle brand which was more relatable to the millennial generation. Her idea was to help inspire people from her generation to consider the aesthetic and health benefits of treatments in a positive light and as a sought after and desirable part of a health and beauty routine.

“Social media helped break down barriers within dentistry – this was always my aim. It has encouraged people to book appointments directly with me and has had a huge impact on my career path”.

Megan commented that creating her brand needed a lot of thought and research. “A brand is an extension of yourself and reflects who you are as a person. I loved the process and it gave me a new passion for branding and marketing. So I am a hygienist, but this does not mean I am confined in dentistry. My scope as a professional has been broadened by the different avenues I have undertaken. Admittedly it is difficult to let go and trust somebody else with your brand when you need to get help. If you are just outsourcing creative work, the best thing to do is look for reviews and get recommendations, and again social media is an ideal platform to exchange good contacts!”

Nowadays, according to Megan, it is a lot easier to create your own website and there are also different apps which you can use create content. It has democratised dental hygiene and allowed whoever wishes to go on a different journey to do so without fear of being judged. Putting yourself out there means that you think your content is relevant and has a value, and so long as you feel it is going to make a difference, this is what ultimately matters.

“I am trying to help the public and make an impact on their oral hygiene. If I can spread a positive message and that one post is making a difference to even one person then it is worth doing. It is all about having the right mind-set. Ultimately if you don’t try what seems a good idea for you, you are going to be frustrated and have regrets, so just give it a go”.

Megan also told Victoria during the podcast that “The dental beauty box I recently launched is my pride and joy. Coming from the dental industry, I wanted to combine dentistry and beauty to make it a bit more desirable. Patients may find it overwhelming to go down the dental oral hygiene aisle in the chemist, with so many different products to choose from, they trust my professional recommendations instead and I have included beauty and wellness products in the box too to make it more aspirational. This collaboration of beauty, dentistry and wellness makes me feel as if I have hit the jackpot, with the belief that I can have a positive impact on people’s lives on so many levels, is definitely thrilling”.

“With social media, you can only feel more connected, compared with years ago. There are forums, Instagram, smaller online groups, so social media has opened up new doors, which is particularly important for the profession, as it can really be a lonely place when confined to the surgery on your own. So when you then go to conferences or events, you will be able to recognise people and their faces – even though you have never met them, that’s the power of social media!”

“For me social media has been much more than a means to connect with people. Social media has made me stand out from my peers and given me incredible career prospects. Philips (Zoom whitening and Sonicare) and Unilever (Regenerate) approached me having seen what I was doing with my outreach to patients. That was the start of so many amazing opportunities working with those brands and being involved in things I would have never dreamt of when I was in university. I am also very proactive in my role with them now and I will reach out to them if I feel there is a good opportunity presenting itself”.

“Every hygienist and therapist is unique. Everyone has something to offer and unique selling points that make them special. So with determination and hard work, everything is possible. Just figure out what makes you different, and what you are passionate about, and reach out to people and give it your best shot”.

“Beside my patients, it was important to me to also help other hygienists and therapists. I had found that whitening had become a huge part of my treatment focus, and I wanted to share that passion with my peers. So Philips and I put together a series of whitening courses to show hygienists and therapists that there is something beyond back to back cleaning appointments. Whitening is within our scope of practice, albeit under a prescription. My reward is when hygienists and therapists walk out of my courses and start working on a marketing plan, on social media and implement what has been explained during these courses. Zoom take home whitening demonstrations also help giving my course delegates confidence to make a start with whitening. I run about ten courses a year and locations are generally London, Manchester and Leicester although we can discuss locations wherever

someone has a need. However, with lockdown limiting our travel opportunities at present I am launching online training courses too”.

There have been times in my career where dentists in the practice were receptive to my ideas. Other times, less so. But if you have a vision or a dream, you need to find people who will help you and allow you to make your ideas a reality. Let’s not forget how lucky we are to be able to always go back to the practice for your clinical work which gives you that security. So take big leaps if you have to, as you only have a few chances in life. Find your passion, be confident in everything you do and be fearless”.

Enjoy listening to the full podcast here:

iTunes
Soundcloud
YouTube:

 

It can also be found on – stitcher, Spotify, tunein, Acast, and pocket cast.

FGDP reveals UK Guidelines for a safe return to dental practice during Covid-19

Ian Mills

At midday on Monday 1 June 2020, Ian Mills, Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice [UK] (FGDP), broadcast a brief statement via the organisation’s Facebook page to announce that FGDP and CGDent have published the UK Guidelines for a safe return to dental practice during Covid-19.

The 68-page document is available via the FGDP website – https://www.fgdp.org.uk/implications-covid-19-safe-management-general-dental-practice-practical-guide – and supports dental professionals to take a risk and evidence-based approach to providing safe general dental care in the current circumstances. It was developed jointly with the College of General Dentistry, and with the involvement of a wide range of other national dental organisations.

The document can be accessed here.

“Our guidelines are developed primarily by general dental practitioners, and are aimed at colleagues working in general dental practice,” explained Mills, along with CGDent Trustee Mick Horton and Covid-19 Task Group Chairman Onkar Dhanoya. “This has been particularly important at this critical time, but we could not have delivered this guidance without the support and expertise of many colleagues who work across all fields of healthcare. We have faced a huge challenge over the last few months, both as a profession and as a nation as we deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Many colleagues have been touched by tragedy, and the dental profession has had to face significant hardship as dental practices across the country battle to support their patients, their colleagues and their businesses. The level of uncertainty during the pandemic has led to fear, anxiety and at times anger, as we struggled to cope with the unknown. It was clear that the profession needed specific guidance to support a safe return to practice in the knowledge that they would be able to continue to provide high quality care for their patients.”

https://www.facebook.com/fgdpuk/videos/282776126440679/

Henry Schein Dental helps dentists safely return to providing care

Henry Schein Dental UK has compiled a variety of measures that focus on the critical steps necessary to help dentists safely restart their practice and to ensure the health and wellness of patients and the dental team. The practice recovery programme aims to help dental teams prepare for the resumption of practice and offers a curated set of solutions ranging from practice safety and preparation, new protocol implementation, and patient communications.

In addition to the company’s comprehensive solutions portfolio, Henry Schein has created a checklist for how to plan your business bounce back, which can be found on the Henry Schein website. There is also a Covid-19 Resource and Education Centre that provides access to practical information as well as helpful webinars.

“At Henry Schein we are committed to helping our customers emerge strong from this difficult situation. We are here to help in fulfillment of our brand promise: Rely on Us. Our team is dedicated to working with dental practitioners to help establish a re-opening process and provide access to a wide range of products, services, and solutions to run an efficient practice while delivering quality patient”, said Patrick Allen, Managing Director of Henry Schein in the UK.

A key solutions offered as part of the new programme is the recently launched teledentistry offering, designed by MedPod, Inc. This clinical decision tool allows dentists to provide critical patient communication and monitoring as the COVID-19 outbreak continues. The cloud-based software platform gives providers the ability to conduct remote consultations for patients so that they can continue to operate their practice, while delivering virtual care to patients who may not have access to a physical office visit, or choose not to visit a clinical setting as a safety precaution.

Software of Excellence, a Henry Schein One brand, has created a new online event called the ‘Bounceback Virtual Dental Festival’ to be held on 26 – 27 May 2020. Currently, more than 2,500 dental professionals have registered the two-day event packed full of useful advice, information, and online networking, delivered by experts from across the industry, helping create a community through which dentists and practice owners can access ‘real-life’, practical support. Henry Schein Dental as well as the Henry Schein, Inc. affiliate MediHoldings will support the event. Proposed topics will include the adjustment to the ‘new normal’, managing teams and HR challenges, how to financially survive the pandemic, the importance of patient communication, making your practice a safer place, self and team empowerment, and implementing contactless arrivals and departures. Software of Excellence also offers regular COVID-19 related webinars to support dental customers on business related topics.

Free online guide launched for teachers to support students preparing for BMAT

A free online guide has been released by Cambridge Assessment to help teachers support students who need to take the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) to get a place to study Medicine or Dentistry in the UK.

The guide is designed to highlight further information and free support materials that are available for BMAT. Teachers using the guide can share the information with their students who need to take the test to study at certain UK universities or medical schools. The experts behind the guide say it comes at a time when teacher support is more important than ever as the teaching sector faces severe restrictions due to Covid-19.

The online guide has been developed by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, the same experts who develop BMAT. It includes information on where to find free online BMAT preparation materials, answers to frequently asked questions from students, information on the test format and guidance on BMAT test sessions.

Andy Chamberlain, Head of Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing said: “BMAT plays a highly significant role in ensuring students with the highest potential get selected for healthcare related courses and the test has become a key part of the recruitment toolkit for universities. For this reason it’s essential that teachers get the support they need to make sure students are confident on the test day. We’ve designed the guide so it’s really comprehensive and gives teachers the information they need to pass on to their students. It comes at a time when teacher support is more important than ever and by using the guide, teachers will be able to help their students take the next steps towards university.”

BMAT is used by universities around the world to select applicants for medical, dental and biomedical courses. It tests key skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and application of scientific knowledge that are crucial for success on an academically demanding, science-based degree.

BMAT is designed so that students can prepare for the test on their own, and Admissions Testing also provides comprehensive free resources so that students can do so. However, many teachers would like to help support their students and this guide provides a quick resource for teachers to share the right information about BMAT.

Chamberlain added: “We already provide lots of free resources to help students prepare for BMAT, but this new guide is designed to give teachers a helping hand in supporting their students. Our research has shown that costly preparation courses are unnecessary which is why the guide shows teachers where to find all of our free materials.”

Dentists’ Provident supporting members through the crisis

While the world is adapting to the coronavirus pandemic, the governments decide when and how we might get back to some sort of normality and dental professional bodies strive to make sense of what it means for dental professionals now and in the future, Dentists’ Provident is still doing what it has done for over a hundred years: supporting its members.

Dentists’ Provident is supporting members with teams working from home as well as with limited presence in the office, taking calls and ensuring the business continues to protect future generations of dental professionals. As most dental professionals are currently unable to work as the majority of practices are closed, Dentists’ Provident has acted quickly to enable members to suspend their cover, helping to manage their monthly outgoings.

If you are a member of Dentists’ Provident and would like to request a claim form, you can do so by downloading a copy from the ‘Documents’ section at dentistsprovident.co.uk or by emailing memberservices@dentistsprovident.co.uk.

If you have a question regarding your plan, you may save time by checking to see if the answer is within your plan documents which are also available under the ‘Documents’ section of the website. Alternatively, if you would like to speak with a member of the team, please use the telephone Member services: +44 (0) 20 7400 5712; +44 (0) 20 7400 5717; +44 (0) 20 7400 5721.

Dental students can now use OET when applying to Imperial College London

Dental students applying to study at Imperial College London can now prove their English language ability with OET, the world’s number one test of medical English. Imperial College London is consistently listed as one of the top 10 universities in the world, boasting  14 Nobel prize winners, including Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, and is recognised as a centre of excellence for the study of medicine. As part of the new recognition, OET can be also be used as part of the application process to study at Imperial.

OET has been specifically designed to accurately reflect candidates’ ability to communicate in an English-speaking healthcare workplace. Test material is underpinned by ongoing research to ensure OET remains relevant and accurate.

Mickey Bonin, Head of Strategy and Product for OET says: “We’ve designed OET to reflect real life tasks and relevant language skills that healthcare professionals are likely to face. We’re delighted Imperial have agreed to recognise OET as they work in partnership with a wide range of NHS trusts, hospitals and clinics. OET will help to ensure that anyone applying to study on medical courses will have the communication skills they need to cope with their studies and the workplace after graduation. English remains a crucial skill for medical students who want to succeed and OET will be a huge boost to the next generation of healthcare workers joining the global healthcare community.”

OET has been developed specifically for 12 healthcare professions: Dentistry, Dietetics, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Radiography, Speech Pathology and Veterinary Science. It is provided by provided by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment, a venture between Cambridge Assessment English and Box Hill Institute.

The DLA launch COVID-19 survival campaign for UK dental labs – Save Labs, Buy British

The Dental Laboratories Association has launched its new campaign to help support the plight of dental labs across the UK following the Covid-19 lockdown.

Steven Campbell, DLA President, commented: “The DLA are witnessing severe hardship for many members of the dental technology community, and we believe there is a very real possibility that some dental labs which dental practices depend upon will not be there once the lockdown is over unless the dental community comes together.”

The message from the DLA is clear: they believe that if all dental practices settle their outstanding invoices from their dental labs as a matter of urgency, then many more labs will survive this crisis. The DLA are reporting that as many as 75% of their dental lab members have outstanding debts of over 45 days from well before the Covid-19 outbreak started to impact the dental profession.

In a bid to not only help dental labs see their outstanding invoices settled for work carried out prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, as part of their ‘Save Labs, Buy British’ campaign, the DLA are trying to appeal to the better nature of NHS dental practice principles who are still receiving their NHS contract value. Starting from May and continuing each month until the lockdown is over, the DLA are asking NHS dental practices to ‘forward pay’ their average dental lab invoice to their dental lab in advance and create a credit account for when the lockdown ends. The DLA believe that these two actions could potentially save 80% of those labs that fear their doors will be closed permanently should their current financial circumstances continue.

More than 10,000 dental practices will have received a letter from the DLA President asking them to ‘Save Labs, Buy British’. In the letter, the DLA encourage dental practices to embrace this campaign and use it to their advantage, citing that there will likely be a change in mood for imported goods in the UK, as well as an increased public resolve to see UK businesses backing each other to help grow the economy and save jobs both locally and nationally.

Back in 2012, the DLA launched the British Bite Mark (BBM), which was widely supported by political figures of all parties. The DLA were keen to point out that the BBM was much more about stopping imports and highlighting the risks dental practices face if they don’t carry out sufficient compliance checks, particularly now dentistry falls under the CQC. In comparison, the Save Labs, Buy British campaign is much more about remembering your UK lab supplier, nurturing the relationship, and saving the dental technology profession in the UK.

When concluding the virtual launch of the campaign, Steven Campbell stated that “the support from the CDO’s in all regions has been appalling for dental labs; whilst during Covid-19 dental technicians are recognised as key workers and dental team members, for all other considerations we are excluded. The same can equally be said about the GDC – they are failing to acknowledge the stress their registration

fee will have on many lab owners and dental technicians. If something isn’t done for dental laboratories soon, the history books will note this as the date the profession disappeared in the UK.”

The DLA are making the logo available for all to use and promote and asking all social media posts to end with #SaveLabs. If you would like the electronic artwork, please contact info@dla.org.uk and they will handle your request.