The former practice manager of a dental practice in Ormskirk, Lancashire, has been jailed for six years and nine months at Preston Crown Court after she was found guilty of stealing over a quarter of a million pounds from her employer, Mansion House Dental Practice.
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Their website may be down, the ‘smile shops’ shuttered, and the barrage of marketing emails has finally stopped, but the SmileDirectClub (SDC) story may just be starting. None of this comes as a surprise to many in the profession. There had been repeated warnings, and concerns had been raised with the regulators. How then, affected members of the public may ask, did things get to this stage? In a post on GDPUK, BDA Chair Eddie Crouch sheds some light on how SDC were able to keep their flawed business going.
Along with the boxes of chocolates and biscuits from appreciative patients, it’s that time of year when NHS England send out their tokens of appreciation to the teams delivering dental care across the nation.
They came, they disrupted, they went under.
GDPUK view: The regulators had a massive fail on this business, they are there to protect the public and they have not done so. The regulators bully and pressure the High Street dentist, but GDC and CQC did not apply any standards to the hefty American outfit with litigious lawyers. This was clearly the practise of dentistry.
Two simple aspects: Every patient should have a named professional responsible for their care. Plus in the event of closure for any reason, the practice must ensure there is ongoing care in place. This issue has yet to hit the High Street.
Since she was appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Victoria Atkins, has not had much to say about dentistry.
Read more: Poorly Briefed, New Minister Struggles with Dental Questions
The latest State of Care report published by the Care Quality Commission has underlined the dire state of access to much Health and Social Care in England. It paints a picture of services struggling to recruit workers and retain the ones they’ve got.
Read more: CQC Report Confirms Dire State Of Access – But Offers No Solutions
According to Denplan’s 2023 Oral Healthcare Report, 59% of the population say they are more likely to see a familiar face when they visit their dentist than their family doctor.
Read more: Medical Loyalty: Patients Prefer Dental Consistency
Dental teams are familiar with well-intentioned projects supposed to protect the public, or raise standards, that all too often have achieved the exact opposite. A senior figure in the profession has now concluded that yet another initiative intended to make healthcare safer is not fit for purpose.
As the government struggles to appear in control of migration to the UK, the BDA has contributed to a joint letter to the Home Secretary describing proposed age assessments as unethical.