‘A make or break moment for NHS dentistry’: Shiv Pabary has been elected the new chair of the British Dental Associations’s General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC).
Elected on Friday 7 February, the new GDPC team also includes vice-chairs Joe Hendron and Vijay Sudra, and the executive committee is made up of Charlie Daniels, Mark Green, Don McGrath and Agi Tarnowski.
The GDPC is tasked with negotiating with government and other stakeholders on behalf of all dentists working in general practice. It is the only official representative body recognised by the government in negotiations and consultations.
Shiv Pabary said: ‘It is a singular honour to take over at this make or break moment for NHS dentistry. My first priority is to reach out to dentists. The system we work to is broken. We want negotiations to start immediately and urgently need your feedback from the frontline.’
Former chair Shawn Charlwood said: ‘I am sad to end my term, but proud of what we’ve achieved. We put the crisis facing NHS dentistry at the top of the agenda – and we have a clear plan to fix it.
‘We just need to see the political will, and a change in tone from HM Treasury. The profession is in good hands with Shiv Pabary and his new team.’
Stalled funding
This comes as a ‘damning’ report into NHS funding prompted dental leaders to urge the government to act.
The new public accounts committee (PAC) report into NHS financial sustainability examined whether the NHS has the funding and resources needed to provide sustainable healthcare services.
The report states that NHS England’s ‘long-held ambition to move more care from hospitals to the community has stalled’. The committee found that, had NHS England not redirected funding to the day-to-day spending of local NHS systems, mental health and community services would have received more investment, including dental services.
Therefore, the committee recommends that NHS England ensures a greater proportion of funding is spent in the community. It says this is ‘in line with its own policy ambition’.
Shawn Charlwood said: ‘Primary care is the front door of the NHS and it’s clearly broken. Government needs to put its money where its mouth is and start fixing it.’
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