Media headlines on April 1st are always laden with spurious news, however, few in Wales were amused by the Welsh Government’s announcement that NHS dental charges have risen by up to 36%.
No commentsRead more: Welsh Dental Patients Charges Increased By Up To 36%
Every so often the recent favourable reporting about the profession shows signs of fatigue. Two recent stories, both from a well-known dental desert, show that the present positive view of GDP’s cannot be taken for granted.
The GDC is proposing major changes that will update the way it operates. This may be as a response to complaints that it has failed to keep up with developments in technology that other organisations have embraced.
There is a serious lack of information about what dental professionals actually do. Whatever the question might be about: hours, working under Private or NHS systems, delivering maintenance, or high ticket reconstructions, there is a lack of solid data.
As previously reported by GDPUK (linked here) a Coroner has strongly criticised the GDC following their investigation into the death of a dentist. As a result, she wrote a ‘Report to prevent future deaths.’
Read more: Dentist Suicides: GDC Reply to Coroner: Masterclass in Deflection and Evasion
The recent budget relies on economic growth that is by no means certain. The dental recovery plan also takes for granted future ‘wins’ for the dental economy. One of the major sources of extra capacity is to be achieved by squeezing regular attenders out of NHS dental practice diaries. This should then make spaces available for those with emergencies and those who have been unable to secure appointments, in turn reducing the pressure on both MP’s postbags and A&E departments.
The National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers (NASDAL) publish annual benchmarking statistics that provide a unique picture of the dental market. Their latest figures have now been released for the period 2022- 2023.
As has been widely reported, Northern Ireland faces a ban on the use of dental amalgam from January 2025.
Read more: Amalgam And Northern Ireland: BDA Opposes Clean Break
Dame Andrea Leadsom, the Minister responsible for Primary Health including dentistry, has admitted that the Dental Recovery Plan’s (DRP) hope of delivering an extra 2.5 million appointments "has a high likelihood of not being reliable".
Read more: Health Committee Part Two: Leadsom Has An 'Abbott Moment'