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25 Apr 2019 • Blog, NHS

Dentists – raise your voices

There are often calls within the profession for there to be more unity and collective action in order to achieve the change many are desperate to see. Completing surveys that shine a spotlight on the…

18 Apr 2019 • Blog, NHS

VWV Healthcare Lawyer Mark Jarvis discusses the risks of losing a child-only NHS contract

There is a perception among some of the profession that NHS dental practices with a child-only contract are becoming a rarity that are increasingly under threat. Those that have such contracts are often aware of…

1 Apr 2019 • Blog, NHS

‘It’s time for the profession to set their own destiny’

Almost 100 dental professionals gathered to hear a panel of experts discuss the potential impact of contract reform at the recent What Next for NHS Dentistry? event held in Durham. Such a gathering suggests a…

25 Mar 2019 • Blog, NHS

Why the numbers are adding up for private practice owners

The British Dental Industry Association’s (BDIA) recently published *Spotlight 2018 research has revealed an apparent sea change in attitudes towards NHS and private dentistry over the last decade. The BDIA’s survey, which examines the split…

14 Mar 2019 • Blog, NHS

I felt like I was on an NHS treadmill…now I am enjoying my work again

Eighty-six per cent of NHS dentists don’t see themselves operating within the NHS in five years’ time, according to the latest NHS Confidence Monitor survey. Almost 500 NHS and private dentists filled in the survey which…

13 Mar 2019 • Blog, NHS

How can NHS dentists take more control over their practice’s future?

One of the recurring themes of the recent Confidence Monitor survey that Practice Plan carried out among dentists was that NHS dentists believe their future is in the hands of a government that they don’t…

18 Feb 2019 • Blog, NHS

A potential workforce crisis in dentistry

Nigel Jones discusses the issues surrounding dentist recruitment and retention with Eddie Crouch, Simon Thackeray and Ros Keeton… Recruitment and retention are two sides of the same troubling coin for the future of dentistry, particularly…

11 Feb 2019 • Blog, NHS

Joe Hendron explains what NHS dentists can expect when the new contract rolls out

Towards the end of 2018, we were told that NHS England are committed to a phased rollout of the new dental contract from April 2020. This declaration of a date comes after years of testing…

4 Feb 2019 • Blog, NHS

What next for NHS dentistry?

This is the question that, following years of under-funding, under-resourcing and increasing regulation, many have been asking for a long time. There has been a feeling among the profession for a while that things need…

30 Jan 2019 • Blog, NHS

Why I’ve changed my mind about a career in the NHS…

Nigel Jones speaks to Jasmine Lobo about her experience of beginning a career in NHS dentistry and why she feels the need for a back-up plan for her career… The retention of dentists in the…

24 Jan 2019 • Blog, NHS

A date for the new contract, but will anything change?

In April 2020, the reformed NHS dental contract will come into force, and many will be wondering whether the changes this will bring are the kind the profession so desperately needs, while others will question…

10 Dec 2018 • Blog, NHS

Great expectations…

Nigel Jones speaks to young dentists about whether the reality of practising dentistry matched their expectations… As someone who has worked in dentistry for almost 30 years, I’ve seen the truly life-transforming impact that clinicians…

26 Nov 2018 • Blog, NHS

A matter of trust

Steve Croston, owner of Church Road Dental Practice, discusses how changing plan provider was a matter of trust… After becoming the sole owner of my practice, I took the opportunity to move to a new…

21 Nov 2018 • Blog, NHS

Dentistry debated – is the NHS’ delicate balance about to be tipped?

Nigel Jones discusses some of dentistry’s big issues with a panel of big hitters from the profession… How do you balance professionalism with delivering the requirements of an NHS contract? In all the conversations I’ve…

1 Nov 2018 • Blog, NHS

‘NHS dentistry is done, it’s just waiting for someone to turn off the life support’

That’s quite a bold statement, but judging from the results of the latest NHS Confidence Monitor survey* it could be one that many can understand – if not, concur with. It came from Stephen Hudson,…

15 Oct 2018 • Blog, NHS

Creating a crisis to force change

Nigel Jones, Eddie Crouch and Tony Kilcoyne talk clawback, collective action and crisis as a catalyst for change in NHS dentistry…

12 Oct 2018 • Blog, NHS

David Cottam, Vice-Chair of the BDA’s GDPC explains how is the fee uplift calculated each year

The pay increase awarded to dentists annually is often a source of consternation for the profession, with many dentists feeling it is not adequate reparation for their hard work. There is also the discrepancy between…

26 Jul 2018 • Blog, NHS

A dentist’s view – the past, present and future of NHS dentistry

July 2018 marks the platinum anniversary of the NHS and there have been many changes over the past 70 years. It seems apt at this milestone to look at the history and evolution of dentistry…