Updates from week commencing 02 May 2022

Read all the updates that took place throughout this week.

Friday 6 May 2022

12:49

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.

Thursday 5 May 2022

15:58

Auditing supplier contracts

Some practice owners are stuck in expensive and unwieldy contracts with suppliers that they cannot terminate early, sometimes with minimum terms of up to 10 years. With inflation, it has never been as important for practices to be able to react to changes in the market. However, securing the best deals for your business can only be done if you understand the contracts already in place.

Expert members have access to a Supplier Contract Audit . Call our member services team to upgrade today and start benefiting from all Expert membership has to offer. Find out more by calling 020 7563 4550 today.

08:51

Advice: one-to-one advice available for Extra and Expert members

Did you know, if you're an Extra or Expert member you have access to unlimited one-to-one advice via phone or email from our team of experienced advisors?

With more than 70 years of advising dentists, our advisors are experts in the laws, contracts, and regulations of dentistry. If you're facing complex issues, we will pair you with an advisor who will handle your advice on a one-to-one basis.

Expert membership also gives you and your team all the policies, templates, and checklists you need to manage a safe, efficient and compliant practice.

For more information on one-to-one advice, contact our Practice support team on 020 7563 4574 or email: advice.enquiries@bda.org.

Not a member? Join today.

Wednesday 4 May 2022

13:15

Library: 50 hours of verifiable CPD with our eBook quizzes

Members can earn up to 50 hours of CPD through our eBooks CPD quizzes.

Our collection of eBooks cover a broad range of dental subjects, encouraging wider thinking and keeping knowledge current. Popular titles include, Cawson's Essentials of oral pathology and oral medicine, Paediatric dentistry, Pickard's Guide to minimally invasive operative dentistry, Infection control in primary dental care and more.

Five new titles have recently been added to the collection:

Fixed orthodontic appliances: a practical guide [BDJ Clinician's Guide]
Periodontology (4th edition) [BDJ Clinician's Guide]
Textbook of oral cancer - prevention, diagnosis and management
Risk assessment in oral health - a concise guide for clinical application
Practical procedures in the management of tooth wear.

Each title is provided with 20 multiple choice questions worth 2 hours CPD, allowing you to earn up to 50 hours CPD on completion.

Tuesday 3 May 2022

16:17

Send us your nominations for the BDA Honours and Awards 2022

Our Honours and Awards acknowledge the unsung heroes of dentistry and celebrate dentists who uphold and improve standards in the profession.

If you know a dentist who consistently goes the extra mile, is active in furthering the profession and offers exceptional service, nominations are now open for our Honours and Awards. The categories include:

Roll of Distinction, honouring outstanding services to UK dentistry
Certificate of Merit for Services to the Association, to recognise special service at any level of dentistry within the UK
Certificate of Merit for Services to the Dental Profession, to recognise special service at any level of dentistry either nationally or internationally
Joy Harrild Award for Young Dentists, to recognise young dentists who have made a significant contribution to the profession.

Download and complete our nomination form before the deadline on 27 May 2022.

10:14

England: Another 2000 dentists leave the NHS

New figures show over 2000 dentists left the NHS in England in the last year as of January 2022, down from 23,733 in 2020-21. This leaves the service with the lowest headcount it has seen in over a decade.

While some have urged a focus on training additional dental students and import of dentists from overseas, we have stressed that meaningful reform of the NHS contract must take priority.

There are over 42,000 dentists currently on the General Dental Council's official register, up 5% of 2018 levels, but not enough are willing to work under the current NHS system. We believe it is imperative to develop a contract that encourages the next generation of dentists to view the NHS as a place to build a career.

“Dentists are simply not seeing a future in the NHS” Shawn Charlwood, Chair of the BDA's General Dental Practice Committee, has said. “Millions are going without the care they need, and quick fixes are no substitute for real reform and fair funding. If Ministers try to move forward without fixing a rotten system they will just be painting over the cracks.”