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Lincolnshire LDC Update Number 75
I’m sure most/all of you could not have failed to notice the increased media attention given
to Dentistry over the last month. Queues of people waiting to be given an appointment to a
newly opened practice in Bristol are not the headlines any Government wants to see.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, but in the same week, details were published on the
much-awaited Dental Recovery Plan.
You will have no doubt have seen the proposals and probably formed an opinion. Here is
the link.
Jason Wong has been erroneously quoted in the media as saying it won’t work. What he did say is it is not enough, and I think most of us would agree with this. It is however a step in the right direction.
So, what are the main positives?…..
The uplift in the minimum UDA rate to £28. This will affect 43% of practices in Lincolnshire, so this is significant for us, but the LDC and LDN are aware of the effect a low UDA rate has on recruitment and retention and is working with our local commissioners to explore what further can be done.
Patient tariff for those who have not been seen for 2 years. £15 for band 1 and an additional £35 if the individual requires treatment at band 2 level. Please be aware this initiative starts on March 1 st and runs for 13 months only.
Golden Hellos in areas where there are insufficient dentists, the so-called Dental Deserts.
Lincolnshire will no doubt be one of these areas. We do however have such a scheme already in place but as the national terms are more generous, we can see individuals handing back our offer in favour of the national one.
Dental Vans in Dental Deserts. For various reasons, the LDC’s opinion is mixed on this one.
An increased focus on prevention and supervised toothbrushing.
Increase water fluoridation to greater numbers.
The recognition that further contract reform is required.
The BDA have a view and have organised a webinar for Monday 26 th February at 7 pm. Here is the link https://www.bda.org/learning-and-development/courses-and-events/webinar-dental-recovery-plan/
£200million has been promised for these initiatives. With Clawback for 22/23 liable to be again over £400 million, it is debatable whether this is in effect new money or not. Our concern remains that the funding is non recurrent and only for 13 months.
Increase in Training Places
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. This plan promised to expand training places with over 1000 new British Dental Graduates in training by 2028/29 and 100 more by 2031/32. Furthermore, the plan states there will be increase in Dental Therapist numbers by 40 % in 2031/32 to provide an additional 500 Dental Therapists. However, the plan does not say at what stage of training these undergraduates will be at in 2031/32 and as we all know with dental undergraduates, it takes more than a five-year course plus one year FD to gain experience.
The plan recognises that a significant proportion of dental graduates are likely to live and work near their dental school after graduation. Therefore, it is the aim of the Government to undertake this expansion in a way that is targeted to improve provision in areas of the country where it is most needed, and they promise to set out further details on how places will be allocated. This next bit is potentially the most interesting. “If required to deliver our ambitions on workforce expansion, we will explore the creation of new dental schools in currently under-served parts of the country.”
Provisional Registration
Provisional registration for overseas-qualified dentists - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
This was announced at the end of the last week and will have major implications for Lincolnshire. The increase in number of candidates taking ORE 1 and 2 will further impact on workforce and access.
Centre for Dental Development
Provisional registration ties in with the fundamentals of the Centre of Dental Development. ie. Service Delivery and Training. By way of progress, a Project Manager started work on Monday 19 th Feb. A full day stakeholder meeting took place on Wed 14 th Feb.at the University, and we are now looking at potential sites, including the possibility of a new build. The concept of a hub and spoke model is also on the agenda although the priority is the initial site.
LDC / LDN Annual Lecture
Following the success of last years’ lecture on Oral Cancer, I am very pleased to let you know that this year’s lecture will be on the link between oral health and general health. The speaker is Graham Lloyd Jones and as some of you may remember, I have included various links from him in our updates. Graham is an internationally renowned speaker, most recently lecturing at the FDI Conference in Sydney in September.
This event will be on the evening of Thursday 18 th April with a buffet before the lecture. It is a whole team event and given the nature of the topic and the speaker, we anticipate numbers attending will be high. We are confirming a venue, but it is likely that it will be at Bishop Grosseteste University Lincoln. Please make a note in your diary and further details will be forwarded asap.
Enclosed is the Bio.
Dr Graham Lloyd-Jones is a consultant radiologist at Salisbury Hospital. He is a leading
educator in the field of medical imaging. During the COVID-19 pandemic Graham performed detailed analysis of the lung disease
visible using CT scans of the chest. This led to working with periodontologists - including
Prof. Iain Chapple of Birmingham University - to publish a hypothesis implicating a key role
for periodontal disease in the pathogenesis of the lung disease. Graham is now writing a book on the subject of oro-systemic diseases from an anatomical
perspective for a public audience. As he puts it
"The mouth is a much neglected source of pathology of the human body. The
medical and dental literature now makes it clear that biological and pathological processes
in the mouth are responsible for the development and worsening of many systemic diseases.
To understand mechanisms involved we need an anatomical perspective which takes into
account various entry routes into the body."
Dr Lloyd-Jones will discuss anatomical concepts relating to oro-systemic diseases and
highlight messages which dentists need to be sharing with their patients regarding risk of
systemic diseases, especially in those with periodontitis.
Learning outcomes:
In this presentation you will learn:
Anatomical concepts relating to oro-systemic diseases.
Conventional COVID-19 lung disease modelling versus vascular viral entry from the
mouth
Links between gum disease and multiple systemic diseases - and related mechanisms
Concepts of causality - biological plausibility and holistic anatomical approach
Messages dentists should be encouraged to share with their patients.
Potential ways in which dentists and doctors should be collaborating clinically.
And finally ……………
As well as all that is going on at a national level, please be aware that in Lincolnshire there is
so much work in progress behind the scenes, much of which is already included in the
Dental Recovery Plan. We are constantly trying to improve services for patients and working
conditions for our Dental Teams. The Lecture on the 18 th April will give you an opportunity
to meet others and network with other practices. We hope you can attend.
Best wishes
Kenny Hume Chair Lincolnshire LDC
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