John Makin, head of the Dental Defence Union (DDU), explains the impact of a government inquiry on professional morale.
Fears about NHS ‘dental deserts’ appearing across the country are long-standing but have gained traction since the pandemic. Now, the Health and Social Care Committee has launched an inquiry into the issue of access, to which the DDU has submitted written evidence.
The committee has begun to hear evidence and will make recommendations to the government, including what incentives can be offered to recruit and retain dental professionals.
Of course, attracting new members of the dental team – and keeping them – is always going to be a difficult task in the current climate. Our own recent survey found 86% of dental professionals said that workplace pressures have increased in the past two to three years. In addition, 39% said they were likely to retire or leave practice in the next five years.
A deeply troubling figure is that 90% of respondents said they found their work emotionally exhausting and 85% said they had experienced burnout because of work.
Legislation is needed
As our evidence suggests, we need to address all of the barriers that exist to access across the dental system. If they want to prevent an exodus of dental professionals, the politicians and regulators must consider how to restore morale.
Restoring confidence in the system of regulation is crucial if we are to improve recruitment and retention.
In December 2022, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) published its latest Performance Review of the General Dental Council (GDC). It found that the regulator had not met the standard for timeliness in fitness to practise for the fifth year in a row.
The PSA noted that the GDC is taking steps to improve its performance. But cases are being progressed through the system too slowly and the number of older cases remaining open has increased.
The GDC also failed to meet one of the PSA registration standards due to the time taken to process registration and appeals. The DDU is urging the committee to exert its influence on the government and lend its voice to the need for fundamental reform of the GDC without delay.
Legislation is needed in this parliament.
Follow Dentistry.co.uk on Instagram to keep up with all the latest dental news and trends.
