Working To Attract More Overseas Dentists
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- Published: Tuesday, 05 July 2022 07:46
- Written by Peter Ingle
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Along with demands for contractual reform, increasing the numbers of dentists has become a favourite solution for the access crisis. With an estimated 3000 dentists leaving the NHS in the space of two years, and practice owners struggling to recruit, attracting dentists to the UK has become a priority.
Two recent developments might help to increase the supply of much-needed clinicians, with both the GDC and the UK’s first independent post graduate dental school coming to the rescue.
Both the general post – Brexit environment, and resulting changes to the routes to obtaining GDC registration were expected to affect numbers. Then, with the pandemic wreaking havoc with the Overseas Registrant Exam (ORE), the tap supplying new overseas qualified dentists to work in the UK was effectively turned off. GDPUK reported on the ‘therapist route’ to registration for overseas dentists, which did without key tests that those applying to register as a dentist, were required to pass. Belatedly, the GDC are now closing this particular loophole.
At a recent Westminster Health Forum discussing dentistry, GDC Executive director Stefan Czerniawski, spoke about, ‘The outlook for professional regulation in dental services.’ Possibly channelling his inner Liam Neeson, he reminded delegates that “we have some very particular levers.” Moving on to the recent GDC funded surveys into the effects of Covid-19 on dentistry, he felt that there were three core themes. Two of them were access and system overstretch. Not for the first time, when defending apparent inaction by the GDC, the limitations of the 1984 Dentists Act were raised. He pointed out that even in 1984, it had been a cut and paste piece of law-making. However rather than carry on waiting for a new Dentists Act, the Council was now working on the assumption that it would not be coming soon. Despite this, there was “real progress” being made on the registration problems of the last two years. Encouragingly, legislation to help ease this “bottleneck” could be expected this year.
Meanwhile The College of Medicine and Dentistry has grasped an opportunity with the launch of its “Pathway to work in the UK.” The College of Medicine and Dentistry, based in Birmingham, was first established in 2013, and is the UK’s first independent postgraduate education provider to offer a wide range of qualifications for dentists and healthcare professionals. Working in collaboration with Ulster University, the College offers qualifications from MSc to PhD and Professional Diplomas.
With the heading, “Are you a dentist who wants to live and work in the UK?” international dentists are invited to join the MyDentist Employability & Placement Scheme at the college. This has been developed to support dentists wishing to live and work in the UK. It continues, “The MSc programme in Advanced General Dental Practice is the perfect qualification for any international dentist who wants to practice and live in the UK. Get equipped with the appropriate skills to treat challenging general dental cases and acquire the training required to pass the ORE and LDS examination.” A graphic then features some of the key benefits of the scheme including:
- A £6,000 welcome from MyDentist
- Guaranteed employment opportunities with MyDentist
- The opportunity to gain a 5 year visa to work and live in the UK
- An opportunity to work, and earn, as a therapist while studying.
Then in an even larger font, that “average dental salary in the UK is £72 864”
The college has ambitious plans for the future including attaining degree awarding powers by the end of 2025, and, aiming to achieve 100% employability within six months of graduation.
Advert to recruit foreign Dentists into failing NHS Dental system leaves out main PROBS!
So big title SALARY to tempt or mislead those from poorer Countries to come here and work in our terrible target-driven NHS dental contract system in England !! :o !!No mention that there isn't a shortage of Dentists or Therapists in the UK, just that increasing good people refuse to work in such a BAD system for patients and professionals alike !!
I bet this isn't emphasised equally.
Might there be many financial or other penalties if they want to leave after a few years, so get locked-in or trapped long-term?
Then there are our very ADVERSARIAL regulatory and Legal systems biased against Dentists here - the likes of which they will never have experienced in their own Countries, so this will be a great shock to them and possibly find a higher proportion dealing with a higher % of complaints or legal compensation claims, causing HUGE stresses etc.
Hopefully not, but these aspects that drive away our existing Dentists, are omitted in all the hype maybe?
Yours realistically,
Tony.
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