“Crisis What Crisis?” Charlwood Tells LDC Conference Survival Of GDS Is A Political Choice
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- Published: Monday, 12 June 2023 07:41
- Written by Peter Ingle
- Hits: 2017
The annual LDC conference, held this year in Harrogate, provides a snapshot of UK dental politics. Local Dental Committees may be associated with the NHS, but what happens in the service rarely stays in the service. The motions and speakers spotlight the concerns and priorities of the moment.
General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC) Chair Shawn Charlwood provided the first presentation. There is no question that the BDA have dramatically improved the professions media presence, both in quantity and quality. Dentistry has been in the news more than ever, but the blame for dental deserts and the surge in DIY dentistry is not being laid on the profession. Shawn Charlwood’s frequent appearances, whether in front of the recent select committee inquiry, or in many media interviews, have bought a style of presentation and language that has added authority and improved cut through, both to the public and opinion formers.
Conference Chair, Mark Green, in his welcome had looked forward to the motions and speakers that would be heard over the next two days and observed that, “I don’t want cheap shots.”
Giving his report from the GDPC to conference, Shawn Charlwood looked back on what he described as a “roller-coaster year.” The government’s attitude reminded him of the “Crisis what crisis” remark attributed to Prime Minister James Callaghan as he was driven past the huge piles of rotting rubbish piled on the pavements in the late 1970’s. He would shortly be thrown out by an electorate that had decided that his government was badly out of touch.
Dentists would need to work together as the general election approached. Since the BDA & BBC research showing that 90% of practices were not taking on new NHS patients, and despite the contractual changes, there had been little recovery. Or as he put it: “The most significant changes in a decade, were not significant”. Over the last 12 months practices had been hitting about 80% of their targets.
One figure that was going to exceed expectations was likely to be clawback. For some time assumed to be around £400 million, it now seemed likely to exceed £500 million.
When it came to workforce, NHS Dentist numbers were similar to those of ten years ago, and a rescue plan was needed. This had to include urgent action to retain the existing NHS workforce, show government commitment, introduce significant reform, and use the underspend. He expected plans to be announced by ministers before the summer recess.
In parallel with this, discussions were continuing with NHS England that might bring more marginal changes. But there was a lack of ambition and the pace was “glacial.” He referred to “marginal changes 2” in the manner of a movie sequel trying to get a little more life out of a tired formula.
Shawn Charlwood then told conference that the profession would need to focus on the forthcoming General Election. Saving the service would be a political choice he said, and NHS dentistry would be a big talking point on the doorstep, just as it had been in the recent local elections.
Concluding, he was pleasantly surprised that dentistry had not gone down the media agenda, this was no accident, but the result of the profession’s efforts. He urged them to “keep on and double down.”
As the conference dispersed for a break, the main screen ran a slideshow. It had a series of pictures taken in the former Soviet bloc. They all showed long queues of people lining up in the street, hoping to be able to buy from the scant stocks of groceries, clothes, and even hamburgers. Most dated from the 1960’s through to 1990 and were from locations including Prague, Wroclaw and Moscow. The series ended with a remarkably similar image. It was captioned: NHS dentistry, Kings Lynn 2023.”
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