With its latest publication, the GDC has revisited its core role – that of regulating the dental professions and protecting the public
No commentsRead more: Clarification on Scope of Practice Welcomed by Indemnifier
Readers of GDPUK will be familiar with the acronyms MOS and MDS, but might want to get up to speed on MAFS.
Jess‘s Rule was developed in response to the tragic case of Jessica Brady, a 27-year-old who died from advanced cancer after her repeated concerns at her GP practice were not acted upon. The new guidance provides a clear safeguard: when a patient attends multiple times with the same or worsening symptoms, clinicians must stop, reflect, and reconsider whether further investigation or referral is required.
Read more: OHF Welcomes Introduction of Jess’s Rule Across GP Practices
The GDC frequently talk about trust. Their much trumpeted Corporate Strategy for 2026 to 2028 includes the lofty ambition to deal with a problem they took over a decade to even acknowledge: “The strategy also focuses on the current climate of fear within dentistry, with research showing dental professionals‘ perceptions of the GDC decline sharply after qualification.”
Many dental innovations, whether in technique or materials have crossed the Atlantic from west to east on their way to UK practices. But it is not an entirely one way traffic, as shown by a recent article in the Los Angeles Times. The story related to dental examination frequency, and asked what for many of its readers will have been a novel question: Is Six Months Still the Standard?
Just a week apart, two rather different stories have emerged from the West Country about dental vans. With their proportionately high rural populations, small coastal communities and many households on low incomes, both Devon and Cornwall have a good deal in common.
Times may have changed since the Yes Minister episode where Jim Hacker explained that The Guardian is read by the people who think they ought to run the country. Nonetheless when it comes to dentistry the house style is not to run an expose on Turkey Teeth but offer a “Guardian View” editorial, setting out what in the paper‘s opinion, needs to be done.
While many may be enjoying the on off heatwaves this summer, the serious political geeks will be busy preparing for the highlight of their year, the annual party conferences. The major political parties will be holding their big annual autumn meetings, starting with Labour at the end of September.
Read more: Party Political Conferences: Dental Update for September
The Local Government Association (LGA) has recently completed an analysis of available data published by NHS England about dental access. The LGA found that an uneven distribution of NHS dental practices in England is leaving many communities struggling to access treatment, particularly rural and deprived areas.
Read more: Local Government Concerns with Gaps in NHS Dental Access