Writing in the Telegraph to mark the first anniversary of the Francis report Secretary of State for health, Jeremy Hunt, said that a "culture of openness" is spreading through the NHS. Almost 1000 whistleblowers are reporting poor care every month. The service has started to move on with ‘compassionate care’ replacing ‘tick box targets’.
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The long-running battle over plans to add fluoride to domestic water supplies in and around Southampton could be heading for a showdown in court. Hampshire councils and the Government’s health agency are at odds over the proposed scheme. With neither side willing to move, they are set for a legal battle.
A new dental health survey, published by the Irish Dental Association (IDA) shows 80% of Irish adults believe their gums are healthy however 80% of Irish people have some form of gum disease. The Chief Executive of the IDA, Fintan Hourihan said the survey shows the impact the recession is having on dental health and a disconnect between what people think and how they act.
The NHS Information centre has published its statistics for April-June 2013, with patient numbers up until September this year. They show that 1.7 million more patients were seen in the previous two years than before the new contract started in 2006. Courses of treatment increased by 2.7% compared with the same quarter in the previous year.
David Prior, the chairman of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), writing in the Telegraph (Feb 2, 2014), warns the NHS will “go bust” without radical change to drive up standards and rid hospitals of a “toxic” bullying culture that damages patient care. He says the safety of the most vulnerable patients is being jeopardised by a “dysfunctional” rift between NHS managers and clinical staff.
An exercise to recover money allegedly paid to dental practices because of bureaucratic errors by Scottish Government should be postponed because the data on which it is based appears to be seriously flawed, the British Dental Association (BDA) has warned.
In one of the more bizarre trends coming from the USA, some parents are having their babies’ lost molar teeth cast in sterling silver and made into necklace pendants. Artist Jackie Kaufman, who creates these tooth pendants said she’s had about 100 orders for the unique necklaces so far. “This is better than the Tooth Fairy” she said.
The number of Dental Foundation Training offers for 2014 has been announced. There were 1318 applications made to the 2014 Dental Foundation Training programme and of these, 1290 eligible candidates, including 123 from European Dental Schools and 70 from other dental schools worldwide, were invited for interview. So far, 80% of applicants have been offered places on dental foundation training schemes in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, starting in 2014.
Read more: Foundation Training: 244 dental students on reserve list
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has informed dental schools that there will be a 10% cut to student intake targets for 2014/15, across the board. This has not been officially announced, but GDPUK understands that schools are being informed.