.png)
March 20th 2022 Lincolnshire LDC Update Number 64
Dear all …. A lot has changed in the world since last month’s update and when you see the events unfolding in Ukraine, we should all appreciate just how lucky we are.
On Tuesday, we held our LDC meeting. Perhaps the Ukrainian situation had some bearing, or perhaps there was a sense of perspective and a desire to move on, but it was a very positive meeting. Our minutes will appear on the LDC website in due course.
We are aware that at many different levels our profession faces difficulties but dentistry is still a very good career with many opportunities available. I have said this before….. the financial support NHS practices have received over the last 2 years is something our private colleagues can only dream of.
Workforce and Access Issues.
This remains our most important concern. Thank you to all the practices who recently took part in our workforce survey. Further information may be required down the line but to enable meaningful discussion we need data which is up to date and so it is in everyone’s interests to reply to these surveys. We continue to meet with NHSE, HEE, Lincolnshire County Council, the LDN and others, but workforce issues are national and not confined to Lincolnshire. Hopefully, the GDC consultation points to a relaxation in the legislative requirements for overseas graduates and the re-start of the ORE examination is positive for recruitment. We cannot rely however, on a workforce trained overseas and we are encouraging serious debate on how we can train and keep more of our own graduates. What is pleasing is the rise in the number of FD places in Lincolnshire. Thank you to all the practices involved in training and if this is something you may be interested in please contact lincsldc@gmail.com or jonathan.farmer@hee.nhs.uk
You may also have seen this week that Lincoln was voted the best city in Britain to bring up a family ………………. So hopefully a positive for recruitment.
A Dental School for Lincolnshire
Those of us who recently listened to Caroline Johnson, MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, when she spoke in Parliament, will know she has mooted the possibility of a Dental school for Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire is not the only rural County where similar discussions are taking place with the Peninsular Dental School in Plymouth and UCLAN in Lancashire seen as examples of Dental Schools in rural areas. There are pros and cons to such a project but one of the most telling statistics is still the acute shortage of dentists in the South West and Lancashire and Cumbria, even though dental schools exist here. In my LDN role, I am in contact with colleagues in these areas and in Norfolk and Suffolk, to explore how we can improve workforce issues both in the short term and long term. There are other options being discussed which could attract dentists to Lincolnshire with the focus on short to medium term recruitment. A Dental School is very much a long term aspiration.
Peer review
As our focus moves away from the Pandemic, we are looking at ways to re-connect practices and their teams.
Peer review has several benefits. It is a fantastic way to:
Promote high standards of practice
Share experiences
Identify changes to existing practice
Offer pastoral support (especially important now that we are coming out of COVID)
Promote inter-practice communication
Furthermore, it may play a more important role if the GDC CPD model changes. In 2018, The GDC commissioned a literature review on CPD to inform their policy proposals for CPD development. The report found that regulators are moving away from quantitative-based models of CPD and more towards qualitative-based models. For example, the General Optic Council state that all fully-qualified registrants must undertake one peer review and one reflective exercise per CPD cycle.
Personally, I have thought there should be an element of CPD which is face to face, as networking and meeting with others is so important for our development and well-being.
Leadership fellow Hassan-Ali Ismail and LDC Vice Chairs Andy Fenn and Sandy Gemmell at lincsldc@gmail.com will be leading on this project. It will be funded and open to all, including Private Practices and DCPs. Watch this space
PASS Scheme (Practitioner Advice and Support Scheme)
This was discussed at length at Tuesday’s meeting. Does everyone know of this scheme’s existence and its role?
The aims of the Pass Scheme are to:
• provide an initial, confidential and informal point of contact for non-maliciously raised concerns
• support dentists whose performance is recognised by themselves or by others as potentially causing concern and provide support at an appropriate level
• help protect patients and dentists from possible harm
• sign post dentists to other sources of help where appropriate.
The scheme considers cases around
communication
confidence issues
practice management problems
career matters
challenges and obstacles that are affecting a dentist’s performance at work
stress
clinical concerns.
The scheme works at the initial, informal level to resolve performance problems before they become the subject of NHS performance procedures or GDC fitness to practise cases. Any dental team member who feels concerned about the attitude, behaviour, or clinical performance of a colleague (or themselves) such that patient care may be compromised is able to approach the scheme and discuss their concerns. If you have a concern, talk to trusted friend or colleague for advice and signposting, or come to the LDC.
The Scheme will not normally deal with the following types of cases but should refer the case to a relevant organisation such as the Deanery/HEE Office, NHS England, the Dentists Health Support Programme and, in extreme cases, the GDC:
contract management – no other aspects of poor performance
education and training issues
alcohol and substance misuse issues
health issues that are the main reason for the poor performance
suspected fraud/criminal activity
poor performance that has already caused harm (physical, mental or financial) to patients/practice staff/public.
Advice from Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG).
The SAPG statement reiterates that antibiotic therapy is only appropriate for an acute dental abscess if immediate drainage is not achieved via local measures or where there is evidence of spreading infection or systemic involvement. When an antibiotic is unavoidable, phenoxymethyl penicillin (Penicillin V) is now recommended as the preferred first line antibiotic. This is due to its narrower spectrum of activity, which is less likely to drive antimicrobial resistance. The recommended phenoxymethyl penicillin regimen in adults is 500 mg four times daily for five days (see page 31 of SDCEP Drug Prescribing for Dentistry 3rd Edition for more details, including doses for children). Each tablet should be swallowed whole with water, at least 30 minutes before food, as ingestion of phenoxymethyl penicillin with meals slightly reduces the absorption of the drug. Where there is concern about a patient’s compliance with this regimen, amoxicillin is an appropriate alternative
Sinusitis……………….. Amoxicillin is no longer recommended for treatment of acute sinusitis. Local measures are recommended in the first instance, with antibiotic therapy only used for persistent symptoms or if symptoms are severe. Where an antibiotic is indicated, NICE Clinical Guideline 67 Sinusitis (acute): antimicrobial prescribing recommends phenoxymethyl penicillin as the drug of first choice. Doxycycline is appropriate for penicillin allergy or intolerance.
IMOS Consultation
As you may be aware, a formal consultation on proposals for the East Midland Intermediate Minor Oral Surgery Service to support commissioning new services from 1 April 2023 has taken place. All responses have been reviewed and recommendations have been considered via the NHSEI governance process. A webinar to brief everyone on the outcomes from the formal consultation process took place on 16 March 2022 at 6.00pm.
For Lincolnshire the proposal is that the current 5 sites will reduce to 3. The proposed locations are Lincoln, Skegness and Spalding with services lost in Grantham and Boston.
NHSEI now wish to seek views from the dental market on future commissioning of IMOS services. Please find below the link to the IMOS market engagement for your attention/information.
NHSEI would appreciate it, if you would complete the market engagement questionnaire and express whether you wish to attend the virtual Market Engagement Event scheduled on 12 April 2022. If you are interested, please follow the link to the Prior Information Notice and click on the address link and this will take you to the log in page. This will enable you to log in if you already have an account and if not, there is a link to register to access the market engagement questionnaire. Please note the market engagement process closes at 10.00am on 4 April 2022.
And finally ……………… this month sees the end of the financial year. Covid rates are again on the rise and I am sure there has been an increased number of staff absentees over the last month. Please ensure you have kept up to date and accurate details of any absentees. This may help you with the year-end NHS reconciliation process.
And a gentle reminder …there will be a celebration of Nigel’s Bourne’s life on Sunday 27th March. Please see enclosed details.
Stay safe
Best wishes
Kenny Hume Chair Lincolnshire LDC
댓글