Friday 7 January 2022
16:01
England: Calling for changes to NHS dental contracts
We are acutely aware of the difficulties being experienced across dentistry at the present time in delivering care in the face of the Omicron variant, and have once again raised these issues with NHS England and Health Minister Maria Caulfield.
Last year, we
condemned the NHS England decision to impose these new targets. Shawn Charlwood, General Dental Practice Chair,
wrote on Wednesday to NHS England and we met with them yesterday evening to reiterate our anger at the decision to persist with this unjustifiable approach and to seek a change of course. Shawn highlighted the immense damage being done to NHS dentistry and to a profession feeling battered and entirely unsupported. We have also written to Health Minister Maria Caulfield to set out our concerns on the same issue. We hope that NHS England sees sense and adopts a more sympathetic approach.
Next week, we will be surveying members in England about a range of issues, including your ability to deliver care in the current circumstances, and potential courses of action that we might take in relation to the future of NHS dentistry. The responses we receive will shape our dealings with NHS England. It is imperative that we get a clear indication of where the profession stands, so please look out for our survey next week. Your opinion matters.
We will continue to press NHS England and will keep you updated on any developments.
13:52
Resources: Managing stress in dentistry
If you are experiencing stress at work, know that you are not alone. Almost half of dentists say stress in their job is exceeding their ability to cope. To help you, we're holding a
CPD certified webinar on
Thursday 27 January 2022 at 19:30, led by psychotherapist Anthony Asquith.
This session will cover:
- How to tackle worry and stress head on
- Stress management strategies
- How to work more productively and sustainably.
We also encourage you to make use of the
UK-wide resources available to help you manage stress. Whether you want advice, counselling or simply a listening ear, there are many services there to support you.
11:21
Scotland: Revised self-isolation guidance for health and social care staff
The Scottish Government has just issued
updated self-isolation guidance for health and social care staff.
From 6 January:
- All positive cases can exit self-isolation on day 7 regardless of vaccination status, if they have a negative LFD on day 6 and day 7 (taken 24 hours apart) and do not have a fever (48 hours)
- Fully vaccinated (two doses and booster dose 14 days prior) contacts (both household and non-household) will be asked to undertake daily LFD tests for seven days and if the LFD tests are negative will not have to isolate
- Unvaccinated contacts (0-2 doses) will be asked to take a PCR test and regardless of result will be asked to isolate for 10 days.
As health and social care workers continue to provide health, care and support to individuals who are often more vulnerable and of higher risk of COVID-19 infection, there will continue to be additional safeguards in place for these settings. These are set out in the latest guidance.
10:42
Do you know the advice on PAT testing?
We recommend portable appliance testing (PAT) should be carried out every three years by a competent person. Alongside this, visual checks should be undertaken regularly, and formal visual inspections of all portable electric appliances should be undertaken yearly by a competent member of the team.
To help with this
Good Practice have created an
advice sheet and
log for their members to use to record these annual inspections. (BDA log-in required).
Thursday 6 January 2022
18:08
England: Calling for changes to NHS dental contracts
We are acutely aware of the difficulties being experienced across dentistry at the present time in delivering care in the face of the Omicron variant, and have once again raised these issues with NHS England and Health Minister Maria Caulfield.
Last year, we
condemned the NHS England decision to impose these new targets. Shawn Charlwood, General Dental Practice Chair,
wrote again yesterday to NHS England and we met with them this evening to reiterate our anger at the decision to persist with this unjustifiable approach and to seek a change of course. Shawn highlighted the immense damage being done to NHS dentistry and to a profession feeling battered and entirely unsupported. We have also written to Health Minister Maria Caulfield to set out our concerns on the same issue. We hope that NHS England sees sense and adopts a more sympathetic approach.
Next week, we will be surveying members in England about a range of issues, including your ability to deliver care in the current circumstances, and potential courses of action that we might take in relation to the future of NHS dentistry. The responses we receive will shape our dealings with NHS England. It is imperative that we get a clear indication of where the profession stands, so please look out for our survey next week. Your opinion matters.
We will continue to press NHS England and will keep you updated on any developments.
15:03
Our advice: What do you think?
We know that it's essential you get the advice you need when you need it. That's why we're planning major improvements to the
advice section of our website.
We're hosting a workshop on
Friday 21 January, and you're invited to take part! It'll be an opportunity for you to share with us what you like and don't like about how our advice is currently organised, and it will help us to get any changes right.
There will be a number of time slots available throughout the day and for just half an hour of your time, you'll receive a voucher to say 'thank you'. You'll also have a chance to see the new website designs.
To sign up please email
digital@bda.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
12:44
Staff can self-certify illness for 28 days
The Government has made a temporary change to the rules on Statutory Sick Pay. Normally, staff can self-certify the first seven days of sickness absence and employers may only ask for a note from their GP if the sickness absence lasts longer. Staff may now self-certify their sickness absence for the first 28 days, if their sickness absence starts between 10 December 2021 and 26 January 2022.
However, this change only effects the employer's ability to insist on a fit note from a GP in respect of Statutory Sick Pay. Members who have concerns about the health of a member of staff may still be able to ask the employee for a note from their GP. Extra and Expert members can call the BDA for advice on matters relating to sickness absence. Call 020 7935 0875 or email
advice.enquiries@bda.org.
10:12
Northern Ireland: Revised IPC guidance published
The new
operational guidance for Northern Ireland is effective from this week. The Chief Dental Officer has also outlined the main changes in a
letter dated 22 December 2021.
Infection Prevention and Control relaxations contained in the new Guidance will represent the minimum standards to be applied. There will be flexibility to adhere to current higher standards, for instance in relation to PPE following completion of risk assessment.
08:59
Survey: Accessing advice on our website
We're building a new website which will launch this year. Our site has been in demand over the last two years and members deserve a website which better meets their needs.
To help us do the best possible job, we'd like to hear about how you use the current site, particularly how you locate advice and when you need it.
Please complete this five-minute survey to share your views. Our advice is mostly available to members, so you need to be a member to complete this.
Wednesday 5 January 2022
16:03
Scotland: Self-isolation changes
In Scotland there have been changes to the
guidance on self-isolation for dental staff:
- Positive cases are advised to self-isolate for 10 days. However, if you return two consecutive negative LFD tests taken at least 24 hours apart, with the first test no earlier than day six, you may end isolation before the end of the 10-day period if you do not have a fever.
- Close contacts who are fully vaccinated (three doses of the vaccination plus 14 days) can take daily LFD tests for seven days instead of isolation - provided the tests are negative and they remain without symptoms. If you have not received three doses of the vaccination, you need to book a PCR test and even if this is a negative result, you will need to isolate for 10 days.
- Where you test positive on a lateral flow device (LFD) test, you are now not advised to get a PCR test to confirm infection (unless you may be eligible for the Self-Isolation Support Grant) but to follow isolation advice as it applies to you as a positive case.
14:33
Dry January is here again!
Dry January is an annual public health campaign which encourages people not to drink alcohol during January. Many people see the New Year as an opportunity to make healthy changes to their lifestyle. Are your patients taking part?
This may be a good time to remind your patients of the health benefits of low or no alcohol consumption, including a lower risk of oral cancers. You could also mention the shorter-term benefits to taking part in Dry January which may include better sleep, improved mental health and more money in your pocket.
If you're thinking of giving Dry January a go, or would like to support your patients to do so, here are some useful resources:
13:47
Online patient review QR code poster available to Good Practice members
It has always been essential for practices to understand and learn from the patient experience. It is, however, not always easy to ask your patients to leave a positive comment on the treatment and service they have received. Why not encourage your patients to leave a positive review?
To make this easier, we have created a
QR code poster
exclusively for our Good Practice members to display. Contact
goodpractice@bda.org to request a poster specific to your practice.
10:42
Wales: Respiratory Pathway Risk Assessment updated
Updated guidance has been published for dentists in Wales with additional screening questions added to the risk assessment questionnaire for patients on the respiratory pathway. These additional checks will help dentists to better assess the patient's risk of COVID-19 and determine whether the respiratory or non-respiratory pathway is better suited for care.
09:01
Northern Ireland: 3% pay uplift confirmed
A
3% pay uplift has been confirmed for hospital dental staff, dentists in public health, the community dental service and salaried dental staff in Northern Ireland. It will be backdated to 1 April 2021.
The local dysfunctional budgetary process has once again insured that pay reviews in Northern Ireland are being paid a whole year late, at odds with other parts of the UK. We've been clear that the significant delays to the application of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB)'s recommended uplift in Northern Ireland are unacceptable. We're already finalising our written evidence for 2022-23, and we will continue to apply pressure on these important issues over the coming months.
Tuesday 4 January 2022
15:16
England: CQC fees unchanged for 2022-23
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) fees will not change in April 2022. This means that, for the vast majority of dental providers, fees will have remained the same for the last three years.
However, as in previous years, some providers may see a change to their fees (up or down) for 2022-23, if they have added/removed a new surgery within their practice or added/removed another premises.
See their website for
further information on CQC Fees.
12:49
Scotland: Priority covid testing slots available for essential workers
Essential workers in Scotland have priority when booking COVID test slots, this includes all primary care contractor groups, including dentists (frontline, support and specialist).
Prioritised booking slots are available at all test sites. This can be accessed by clicking to confirm you are an essential worker when booking a test online.
Guidance on COVID testing, including who is eligible for a test, how to get tested and the different types of tests available can be found on the
government website.
10:37
NHS Pensions: Age discrimination redress
If your pension has been affected by age discrimination, NHS Pensions should reach out to you from February 2022 to remedy the situation. This will apply to you if you joined a public service pension scheme on or before 31 March 2012 and were still a member of the scheme on 1 April 2015.
Members who joined a public service pension scheme on or before 31 March 2012 and were still a member of the scheme on 1 April 2015 will be asked to choose their pension scheme benefits when they become payable. The legislation for the remedy is currently being prepared. Retired members and the beneficiaries of those members that are deceased will be the first to receive the information.
Further information is available on the
NHS Pensions website. If you have any questions, please contact the BDA Pensions Team on
advice.enquiries@bda.org or 020 7563 6897.
09:23
England: What you need to know about NHS targets
From 1 January 2022, NHS practices in England are obliged to meet 85% of their pre-COVID activity levels or face financial penalties - 90% for orthodontic contracts.
To help you understand what's happening, we've produced:
Not a member?
Join today to access this advice.
