NHS
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Patient charges being increased
An increase in patient charges could encourage dentists to take on more children, Michael Watson says. Late last Friday, the Department of…
Blog
Skin in the game
There’s less ‘skin in the game’ now in dentistry because of the current NHS dental contract, Alun Rees says. I…
Blog
Dentists could play ‘key role’ in detecting eating disorders
Dentists could be playing a ‘key role’ in detecting patients with eating disorders, new research has suggested. Researchers from…
Oral health
Hygienists and therapists should be able to prescribe medicines
Why can’t dental health professionals supply and administer specified medicines under ‘exemptions’, Michael Watson questions. At a study day in…
Blog
Use of non-dental services to treat children’s oral pain costs NHS £2.3m
Children’s use of non-dental services to treat oral pain is costing the NHS £2.3m a year. That’s according to new…
Oral health
Data Protection Act could end up costing practices £2,000 every year
Dentists, opticians and pharmacies have joined forces to highlight the costs of the ‘botched’ Data Protection Act. Speaking to the Government, the…
Dentistry
Not bidding for orthodontic contract ‘may be better option’, BDA says
The British Dental Association (BDA) has advised practices to carefully consider their financial position before bidding for NHS orthodontic contracts. The…
Orthodontics
Seventy per cent of dentists plan to leave the NHS within five years
With many dentists reflecting on their future in the profession, Nigel Jones wonders how the Government is going to provide NHS…
Blog
LDC chair leaves dental prototypes
After the Department of Health launched the fourth wave of prototypes, Michael Watson reflects on how reforming the dental contract is going.…
Blog
NHS calls on practices to take part in next wave of prototypes
The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England has opened calls for practices interested in the next wave of…
Dentistry
Smoke, mirrors, and sleight of hand
As the Government helped to push Carillion towards collapse, could it be doing the same for NHS dentistry, Kevin Lewis…
Blog
Fresh calls for NHS services to be taken away from Capita
Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen is asking for NHS primary care support services to be taken away from subcontractor Capita. The British Dental…
Dentistry
‘Emerging crisis’ as NHS practices struggle to recruit dentists
NHS practices are struggling to recruit dentists, with more than two thirds (68%) experiencing difficulties in the last year. That’s according…
Dentistry
Scotland launches Oral Health Improvement Plan
The Oral Health Improvement Plan has been launched by the Scottish Government to provide a framework for improving the oral health of the…
Dentistry
What should the BDA’s GDPC be fighting for?
After the latest re-elections for the BDA’s GDPC, Michael Watson looks at what it should be campaigning for this year. First of all,…
Blog
Performer list woes
Dental practice owners are suffering because the NHS and Capita can’t issue performer numbers, Jeff Sherer says. The unfortunate demise of…
Blog
Give patients notice of plans to go private
Dental practices looking to move from NHS to private treatments are being advised to warn patients of their plans. The…
Dentistry
The Carillion effect
How does the Carillion collapse relate to NHS dentistry? Alun Rees explains. Carillion has gone. Another rude awakening from the easy delusions that ‘bigger…
Blog
Are dental practices ever full?
The profession should stop carrying out adult courses of treatment on the NHS if the epidemic in children’s oral health…
Blog