to gather your views about the impact pay issues are having on trainees in Northern Ireland. This will help us make the case for pay parity.
NHS England published
information on 5 April setting out the approach to NHS contracts for the first quarter of 2022/23. The letter has raised some confusion about what is meant by a 95% performance threshold during this period, alongside other queries. We are seeking clarification from NHS England on these issues.
Our understanding of the quarter one approach is that if practices achieve between 95% and 100% of their pro-rata UDAs for the quarter, they will be assumed to have delivered 100% of their UDAs for the period. That represents a small enhancement on assumed activity. If practices deliver either below, or above, that 95% to 100% range, then UDAs will be calculated on a normal 1:1 basis. Any under-delivery in the first quarter could potentially then be made up across the rest of the financial year as usual.
However, we are seeking clarification on this understanding and on a number of other issues with NHS England and will update you when we have further information.
10:07
England: Approach to infection prevention and control
NHS England
published a letter on 5 April that indicated the Standard Operating Procedure for dental settings would be withdrawn. However, the wider infection prevention and control guidance, including the
dental appendix is still in force, and that guidance contains important information setting out the intended IPC approach in dentistry. For example, it sets out details on screening, the respiratory/non-respiratory pathway split and PPE to be used for those pathways.
The IPC guidance is also under review and is now out of date in several respects, for example in relation to the screening questions. We are seeking clarification about the guidance and will update you when we have more to report. In the meantime, practices should follow the current guidance.
Wednesday 6 April 2022
15:46
Wales: Contract reform associate agreement changes
Due to information provided by the Welsh Government, we have taken down the recently issued (31 March) associate agreement template for the contract reform model.
If you have already downloaded the associate agreement for use in the contract reform model, our advice is not to sign it yet, but to wait until we can issue an amended associate agreement in the next few days.
We are changing the BDA model associate agreement for use in NHS dental practices in Wales, in light of new information. This new draft will account for the fact that we now understand performance data will be available at the level of individual associates going forward. And will update it as soon as possible.
If both parties have already signed the agreement (version issued 31 March) and are unable to agree on replacing it with a new agreement, the BDA advice teams will be able to advise.
13:54
Stress Awareness Month: Events to support your wellbeing
We have events planned throughout April to promote and support your wellbeing during Stress Awareness Month.
Stress management and mental health of the dental team is a face-to-face event, with Tim Newton providing an overview of stress management techniques for the whole team.
How to create empowerment in health and wellness is a session with Andrew Parsons, focussing on learnings from the experience of supporting people with cancer in the NHS.
How to instantly relax stressed out patients will explore the neuroscience of relaxation to help patients who are stressed in the chair.
We also have a wide range of
events and webinars on different topics you can attend. This Stress Awareness Month, remember, your wellbeing matters.
09:28
England: Returning to business as usual?We have slammed moves by government to effectively return to normal working arrangements for NHS dentists in England. The move comes with no meaningful changes to the Covid restrictions dental teams must work to and with infection rates now at an all-time high.
For the financial quarter starting 1 April 2022, dentists will face financial penalties for failure to hit 95% of their pre-pandemic activity levels. While NHS England’s rulebook for providing care during the pandemic – the Standard Operating Procedure
– is to be dropped with immediate effect, dentists remain mandated to work to infection prevention and control guidance that limits patient volumes. This includes requirements to leave fallow time gaps following some treatments, and undertake time consuming Covid screening.
We understand close to half of practices were on course to fall below the previous 85% target, set on 1 January 2022, and would therefore face significant financial penalties. Following pressure from us, NHS England has now set a new minimum threshold of 75% for the last quarter, easing the blow for some practices.
The government must now deliver on commitments of fundamental reform to halt the growing exodus from the service. A package of ‘quick wins’ pledged by NHS England to improve the discredited contractual framework remains in development. We will update you as soon as possible.
Tuesday 5 April 2022
12:01
Scotland: Updated Standard Operating Procedures
Following a recent update from the Chief Dental Officer (CDO),
advising changes to Covid-19 Infection, Prevention and Control measures in Scotland, the Scottish Government have updated the NHS Scotland
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for dental practices to follow.
This was confirmed in a further
update from the CDO, which clarified that staff may choose to wear an FFP3 face mask, rather than a fluid-resistant Type IIR surgical mask, when performing an AGP on a patient on the non-respiratory pathway. This is a personal PPE risk assessment for practitioners to undertake. Any questions from the profession on the updated SOPs can be directed to Scottish Government directly via email -
NHSdentistry@gov.scot.
10:51
England: Still no answers from NHS England on targets
As we
reported last week, NHS England were unable to confirm new NHS contractual arrangements as the financial year started on Friday 1 April.
The profession is in the wholly unsatisfactory situation that it does not know the contractual terms under which it is being asked to operate.
We are seeking answers on a daily basis and will update you as soon as we have anything to share.
08:10
England: Working after exposure to COVID
NHS England has confirmed that "staff who are household contacts of a positive COVID case will now be able to continue to work as normal if they remain asymptomatic and continue to test twice weekly. They will no longer be required to have a PCR test in order to return to work."
As it stands at the moment, someone in contact with a confirmed case should take a PCR test and return to work if it is negative, and take LFTs for a further 10 days, so this is a very welcome change to that guidance.
It does not mention non-household contacts, but since household contacts are likely to be more prolonged, we presume it must be the same for all confirmed contacts.
Monday 4 April 2022
15:52
Scotland: New Local Dental Committee formed in Orkney
In our latest blog, Scott Tulloch (GDP and Chair of the Orkney Area Dental Committee) and Michelle Hutcheon (GDP and Member of Scottish Dental Practice Committee) share their success in setting up a new Local Dental Committee in Orkney.
The driving force behind establishing the committee was to champion best practice in remote and rural dentistry, while ensuring that the people of Orkney receive the best possible dental service they can. Effective representation and political engagement are vital to addressing local concerns and setting up this group has been a vital step forward to achieving these goals.
14:47
Scotland: Changes to Covid-19 IPC measures for dental practices
The Chief Dental Officer has advised that the Covid-19 Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) measures in Scotland
have been amended. The main changes are:
- For patients on the non-respiratory pathway, standard IPC measures can now apply for all procedures (including AGPs) and there is no need for fallow time
- Physical distancing restrictions have been removed for asymptomatic patients
- For patients on the respiratory pathway, transmission-based IPC measures, as well as standard IPC measures, still apply.
In the next few days the Scottish Government will outline the changes in more detail by updating the NHS Scotland
Standard Operating Procedures which practices need to follow. They have also advised that the changes will have no effect on the value of the three-month 'multiplier' payment which was introduced on 1 April.
10:53
BDA Library: Opening hours
The BDA library at 64 Wimpole St in London is open to visitors from 10.00 to 16.00 every Wednesday and Thursday.
You will need to
make an appointment if you wish to spend some time researching, but otherwise we would be happy to see you whenever you wish to drop by. If you would like to contact us about visiting, email
library@bda.org or ring 020 7563 4545.
You can also access our
eBook library from home and we continue to provide our usual postal loans service, although books may take longer to reach you at present.
09:17
Annual Conference of Local Dental Committees 2022
After two years, the Annual Conference of LDC's is back in-person. It returns on
10 June 2022 at the International Convention Centre, Newport, Wales.
With the debate of motions, elections of members and the celebration of unsung heroes, the conference has something for everyone. There is also a black-tie dinner held the night before, offering a fantastic opportunity to network with LDC officers and GDPC members.
Register to secure your place now and don't miss out.
