Course Structure

- Increase understanding of pain control during dental procedures
  
  1:00 min
  - Untitled Page
    
    1:00 min
- Learning how local anaesthetics were developed throughout the 20th century
  
  1:00 min
  - Untitled Page
    
    1:00 min
- Improve awareness of possible adverse effects of local anaesthetics
  
  1:00 min
  - Untitled Page
    
    1:00 min
- Increase the understanding of pain control during dental procedures
  
  1:00 min
  - Untitled Page
    
    1:00 min
- Learning how local anaesthetics were developed throughout the 20th century
  
  1:00 min
  - Untitled Page
    
    1:00 min
- Improve awareness of possible adverse effects of local anaesthetics
  
  1:00 min
  - Untitled Page
    
    1:00 min
- Increase understanding of pain control during dental procedures
  
  1:00 min
  - Untitled Page
    
    1:00 min
- Learning how local anaesthetics were developed throughout the 20th century
  
  1:00 min
  - Untitled Page
    
    1:00 min
- Improve awareness of possible adverse effects of local anaesthetics
  
  1:00 min
  - Untitled Page
    
    1:00 min
- Increase understanding of pain control during dental procedures
  
  1:00 min
  - Untitled Page
    
    1:00 min

About the Course

Government failure leaves morale among dentists at all-time low, says BDA

The British Dental Association has lamented Government’s failure to tackle the growing exodus from the NHS workforce, as new official data shows the numbers are set to mount.

Dentists’ Working Patterns, Motivation and Morale data shows morale is now at an all-time low – with only 16% of dentist practice owners and 18% of dentist associates in England saying morale is high, a record low result for both groups. 6 in 10 of all dentists say their morale is low or very low.

With the access crisis hitting millions across England, 64% of practice owners and 61% associate dentists in England are now thinking of leaving NHS dentistry.

The BDA has described the Government’s recent Recovery Plan as ‘unworthy of the title’ and has lambasted the non-stop spin from Ministers attempting to defend their unambitious and unfunded policies.

Dental Minister Andrea Leadsom MP told Parliament last week that “it isn’t the case dentists are disappearing from the NHS,” citing supposed ‘growth’ of 1,352 dentists, by comparing to 2010 figures. The reality is NHS dentist headcount has fallen to levels not seen since 2017, with today’s data showing a steady fall in the proportion of NHS work dentists do.

Last month the Secretary of State had to correct the official record after informing Parliament that the plan was funded by £200m of ‘new’ money. It is entirely funded by recycling underspends in the service’s existing £3bn budget, which has been cut by a third in real terms since 2010. The Government has tried claiming that 500 practices are now taking on new NHS patients as a result of this package. The reality is officials have just changed the definition of ‘access’ on NHS.uk.

A recent poll of dentists in England by the BDA showed just 3% think the plan will result in their practice seeing more NHS patients. 43% believe the plan will actually lead to their practice seeing fewer NHS patients. Only 1% of respondents believe the plan is capable of meeting the government’s stated objective to provide NHS dental care to ‘all who need it’.

The BDA has slammed Government for rejecting the Health and Social Care Committee’s key recommendation to break with the discredited NHS contract, which is fuelling this exodus. It stresses that any progress will hinge on real reform and sustainable funding.

BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said: “This Government hasn’t given dentists any reason to be cheerful. The PM promised to ‘restore’ this service, but all we’ve had is spin, and unfunded, unambitious plans. We can’t have NHS dentistry without NHS dentists. Without real reform Ministers won’t make it a place dentists want to work.”

About the Course

Wesleyan, the specialist financial services mutual, has bolstered its Group executive team with two new appointments and a Board-level promotion, including a new Managing Director for Dental, as it enters the next phase of its ambitious growth strategy.

Karen Blatchford joined Wesleyan in February as Managing Director of Dental, Direct and Intermediary Distribution, after eight years at Quilter. Her most recent role there was Distribution Director, responsible for the UK platform and associated products. She has over 25 years’ experience in the financial services sector, including 17 years at Legal & General, and has held senior roles in distribution, products and proposition development, sales and marketing.

Karen will oversee the work of Wesleyan’s direct and intermediary channels, as well as lead Practice Plan Group.

Elsewhere, Nathan Beckett was promoted to the role of Chief Financial Officer on 1 April from his position as Managing Director of Dental, General Insurance and Direct. He now sits on the Society’s Board of Directors.

Nathan joined Wesleyan in 2008 as part of the corporate audit team. He has held a number of senior roles across the Group, including Managing Director of Practice Plan Group, a Wesleyan subsidiary specialising in providing practice branded dental membership plans. He successfully led the Group through a period of record growth in dental membership plans.

Nathan is a qualified chartered accountant and, prior to joining Wesleyan, held roles in audit practice and financial training. In addition to finance, he is responsible for the company secretarial and legal teams.

Katie Wadey joins the business as Chief Product and Commercial Officer from Simplyhealth, where she held a similar role. She has over 20 years’ experience working in in a range of customer-focused and commercial roles within blue chip companies including British Gas, BT and Tesco, where she was Customer Experience Director. She was also Group Customer Director at Aviva and Chief Customer Officer at LV=.

Katie will play a key role in setting Wesleyan’s future direction as it evolves its strategy of sustainable growth, focusing on meeting the changing needs of customers. She will lead Wesleyan’s corporate strategy, new business development, products, proposition, marketing and communications teams.

All three roles report into Group Chief Executive Mario Mazzocchi who said: “This is an exciting time for Wesleyan. Over the past four years we have made significant progress in delivering a complex transformation strategy, designed to strengthen the foundations of the business and giving us a strong and sustainable base on which to grow.

“We are now ready to focus on unlocking the huge potential we have to increase the reach and depth of our specialist offering, while evolving to meet changing customer needs and also strengthening our position in the intermediary market.

“I’m delighted to have Nathan, Katie and Karen join the Executive team and I’m confident that, together with our colleagues, we’ll lead Wesleyan successfully through the next chapter of its 183-year history.”

About the Course

Community Dental Services CIC (CDS CIC) Chief Executive, Helen Paisley, has been recognised by Anglia Ruskin University for outstanding contribution to Public Services in their 2024 Vice Chancellor’s Alumni Awards.

Helen played a key role in the leadership team who oversaw the transition of CDS CIC from the local NHS Trust to an independent employee-owned social enterprise in 2011. She was a student on the University’s post graduate certificate in Social Enterprise Management, in the early stages of CDS CIC’s formation, and the two-year course supported her to understand more about the social enterprise sector and to develop the leadership and management skills the organisation needed to succeed.

On receiving her award Helen said: “I am honoured to have been recognised in the Anglia Ruskin Vice Chancellor’s Alumni Awards along with many others who have achieved so much on the back of their studies. The course I followed in Social Enterprise Management helped me to grow in confidence to develop from my clinical role as a dentist to take on more leadership responsibilities in CDS CIC and to eventually become Chief Executive. The course was invaluable in helping me to develop the strategic, entrepreneurial and judgment qualities to become CEO and to instil a deep knowledge and belief in the social enterprise business model and how it can deliver public services effectively.”

Helen was appointed CEO in 2022 and prior to that was Chief Operating Officer overseeing special and paediatric dental care, epidemiology and oral health improvement across much of the East of England and the East Midlands. CDS CIC provides high quality services for the NHS and local authorities with a patient satisfaction rating of 99%.

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Official data shows over 60% of dentists in England thinking leaving the NHS

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Government failure leaves morale among dentists at all-time low, says BDA

Wesleyan appoints new-look top team to lead next phase of strategy

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Community Dental Services CIC Chief Executive honoured by Anglia Ruskin University

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Government failure leaves morale among dentists at all-time low, says BDA

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