College of General Dentistry News

Full response to ‘Recovery Plan’ for NHS dentistry in England

The College has published its full response to the government’s Dental Recovery Plan, adding further detail to the interim response from its President, Dr Abhi Pal FCGDent, which was issued earlier this week.

Announcing the plan, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins MP quoted the College on the importance of making use of the full range of skills of all dental team members

The updated statement from the College includes responses to the proposal to speed up entry to the NHS Performers List; to the idea of commissioning private-only dentists to deliver NHS care; to the intention to press the GDC in relation to the recognition of additional qualifications as being equivalent to the UK BDS; to the intended expansion of the LDS, and to the plan to provide preparatory support for LDS candidates. It also includes additional considerations in relation to the proposed ‘golden hello’; to the creation of a provisional registration scheme; and to the increase in the number of dental school places.

The new commentary is as follows:

“While we support in principle the NHS making use of available local capacity to provide much-needed dental care, the proposal to use private-only dentists to do this would either fail or be completely iniquitous to those practitioners who have remained committed to NHS delivery. The correct solutions are to take measures to support the recruitment and retention of dental professionals in the NHS, and to support the financial viability of practices through adequate funding of contracts.

“We are already looking forward to an increase in the number of sittings and places for the Overseas Registration Examination, and we welcome the proposed expansion of the LDS examination. We also welcome proposals to support candidates in preparing for the LDS, and would advocate for similar support to be made available to candidates preparing for the ORE.

“We support the intention to speed up entry to the NHS Performers List, and the possibility of provisional registration, but public safety must not be compromised in our haste to fill gaps in the workforce. There must be proper structure in the training and assessment of provisional registrants, and a robust Quality Assurance process must be developed to ensure that the end product is a Safe Practitioner. Additional training and support may also be required for supervising dentists, as this role may well be more challenging than that of Educational Supervisor of Foundation Dentists.

“Similarly, we support the intention to identify non-EEA qualifications which meet the standard required for registration as a dentist in the UK, but due care and rigour must take priority in order to ensure patient safety. In time, this may prove a useful additional means of ameliorating the labour shortage experienced by dental practices, and the consequent lack of access to NHS dental care experienced by so many patients.”

The sections of the response which have been expanded are as follows:

“The planned ‘golden hello’ scheme also brings implicit recognition of the difficulties experienced by dental practices in the recruitment and retention of clinical staff to deliver NHS dental care. However, we are concerned that the proposed short-term offer, which is in any case limited to dentists, may fail to overcome many practitioners’ long-term concerns about embarking on a career in NHS care delivery, among which are burnout, lack of career progression and insufficient recognition for enhanced skills. We would emphasise that these factors apply not only to dentists but to other members of the dental team, especially dental nurses, and consideration should be given to exploring alternative models of incentivisation to support their recruitment and retention.”

“We are already looking forward to the increase in the number of dental school places available for dentistry, dental hygiene and dental therapy students. The planned expansion of student numbers must be accompanied by an appropriate increase in academic teaching capacity and resources so that the quality of undergraduate training is maintained.”

The College response in full is below.

The College’s response to the ‘Dental Recovery Plan’ in full

Responding to the government’s Dental Recovery Plan, Dr Abhi Pal FCGDent, President of the College, said:

“The government has set out a range of initiatives intended to help tackle some of the many longstanding problems facing NHS dental provision in England. These include some potentially positive new initiatives, which we welcome, alongside previously made announcements. However, while some further positive changes to the dental contract are anticipated later this year, the Dental Recovery Plan does not represent the more fundamental contract reform which is required, nor will the additional £210m in funding behind the plan, welcome as it is, restore universal access to NHS dental care.

“We welcome the proposed Smile For Life programme, with its focus on intervening early to prevent oral diseases in children. Tooth decay remains the leading cause of hospital admission for 6–10-year-olds in England, and a preventative approach has the potential to reduce the need for restorative treatment. However, we wait to see whether sufficient resources will be invested for the programme to be a success.

“The additional temporary funding aimed at those who have been unable to access dental care for two years or more is much needed. However, we would like to see consideration of the ongoing care of individuals benefitting from this initiative.

“The intention to bring NHS dentistry back to some of the many communities who have lost access to it is also very welcome. While mobile units may help in the short term, bricks-and-mortar dental surgeries should remain the backbone of routine ongoing care delivery, and appropriate funding should be put in place to support the re-establishment of NHS practices to address lack of access and meet the volume of need.

“While we support in principle the NHS making use of available local capacity to provide much-needed dental care, the proposal to use private-only practices to do this would either fail or be completely iniquitous to those practices which have remained committed to NHS delivery. The correct solutions are to take measures to support the recruitment and retention of dental professionals in the NHS, and to support the financial viability of practices through adequate funding of contracts.

“The planned ‘golden hello’ scheme also brings implicit recognition of the difficulties experienced by dental practices in the recruitment and retention of clinical staff to deliver NHS dental care. However, we are concerned that the proposed short-term offer, which is in any case limited to dentists, may fail to overcome many practitioners’ long-term concerns about embarking on a career in NHS care delivery, among which are burnout, lack of career progression and insufficient recognition for enhanced skills. We would emphasise that these factors apply not only to dentists but to other members of the dental team, especially dental nurses, and consideration should be given to exploring alternative models of incentivisation to support their recruitment and retention.

“We are already looking forward to the increase in the number of dental school places available for dentistry, dental hygiene and dental therapy students. The planned expansion of student numbers must be accompanied by an appropriate increase in academic teaching capacity and resources so that the quality of undergraduate training is maintained.

“We also look forward to the implementation of medicines exemptions for dental hygienists and therapists. Greater recognition and use of the full range of skills of all team members will enable the delivery of more care and make NHS dentistry more attractive to dental professionals. We also look forward to further proposals which empower the wider dental team when the next set of contractual changes are consulted upon.

“We also recognise that an increase in the minimum UDA value will support a minority of practices to continue delivering NHS dental care. And we support the intent to introduce community water fluoridation in areas of high need as this has the potential to reduce the prevalence of oral diseases and the need for invasive interventions.

“Finally, while dental practices struggle to recruit and many patients struggle to access care, there are many dental professionals who have qualified and practised overseas and who could be providing care here in the UK, but are unable to do so due to the waiting lists for registration exams.

“We are already looking forward to an increase in the number of sittings and places for the Overseas Registration Examination, and we welcome the proposed expansion of the LDS examination. We also welcome proposals to support candidates in preparing for the LDS, and would advocate for similar support to be made available to candidates preparing for the ORE.

“We support the intention to speed up entry to the NHS Performers List, and the possibility of provisional registration, but public safety must not be compromised in our haste to fill gaps in the workforce. There must be proper structure in the training and assessment of provisional registrants, and a robust Quality Assurance process must be developed to ensure that the end product is a Safe Practitioner. Additional training and support may also be required for supervising dentists, as this role may well be more challenging than that of Educational Supervisor of Foundation Dentists.

“Similarly, we support the intention to identify non-EEA qualifications which meet the standard required for registration as a dentist in the UK, but due care and rigour must take priority in order to ensure patient safety. In time, this may prove a useful additional means of ameliorating the labour shortage experienced by dental practices, and the consequent lack of access to NHS dental care experienced by so many patients.”

Sign up to our monthly newsletter

College of General Dentistry News

Interim response to ‘Recovery Plan’ for NHS dentistry in England

The College has issued an interim response to the government’s press release announcing a ‘Dental Recovery Plan’, pending publication of the plan itself which is expected later today.

Commenting on the proposals in the release, Dr Abhi Pal FCGDent, President of the College of General Dentistry, said:

“The government has today set out a range of initiatives intended to help tackle some of the many longstanding problems facing NHS dental provision in England. These include some potentially positive new initiatives, which we welcome, alongside previously made announcements. However, while some further positive changes to the dental contract are anticipated later this year, the Dental Recovery Plan does not represent the more fundamental contract reform which is required, nor will the additional £210m in funding behind the plan, welcome as it is, restore universal access to NHS dental care.

“We welcome the proposed Smile For Life programme, with its focus on intervening early to prevent oral diseases in children. Tooth decay remains the leading cause of hospital admission for 6–10-year-olds in England, and a preventative approach has the potential to reduce the need for restorative treatment. However, we wait to see whether sufficient resources will be invested for the programme to be a success.

“The additional temporary funding aimed at those who have been unable to access dental care for two years or more is much needed. However, we would like to see consideration of the ongoing care of individuals benefitting from this initiative.

“The intention to bring NHS dentistry back to some of the many communities who have lost access to it is also very welcome. While mobile units may help in the short term, bricks-and-mortar dental surgeries should remain the backbone of routine ongoing care delivery, and appropriate funding should be put in place to support the re-establishment of NHS practices to address lack of access and meet the volume of need.

“The planned ‘golden hello’ scheme brings implicit recognition of the difficulties experienced by dental practices in the recruitment and retention of clinical staff to deliver NHS dental care. However, we are concerned that this short-term offer may fail to overcome many practitioners’ long-term concerns about embarking on a career in NHS care delivery, among which are burnout, lack of career progression and insufficient recognition for enhanced skills.

“We are already looking forward to the expansion in the number of dental school places available for dentistry and dental hygiene students, and to the implementation of medicines exemptions for dental hygienists and therapists. Greater recognition and use of the full range of skills of all team members will enable the delivery of more care and make NHS dentistry more attractive to dental professionals. We also look forward to further proposals which empower the wider dental team when the next set of contractual changes are consulted upon.

“We also recognise that an increase in the minimum UDA value will support a small number of practices to continue delivering NHS dental care. And we support the intent to introduce community water fluoridation in areas of high need as this has the potential to reduce the prevalence of oral diseases and the need for invasive interventions.

“Finally, while dental practices struggle to recruit and many patients struggle to access care, there are many dental professionals who have qualified and practised overseas and who could be providing care here in the UK, but are unable to do so due to the waiting lists for the Overseas Registration Exams. So we welcome the possibility of provisional registration, and await the detail with interest.”

This response may be updated following publication of the plan.

Sign up to our monthly newsletter

College of General Dentistry News

Ministerial meeting

On 13 December 2023, the President of the College, Dr Abhi Pal, participated in a roundtable meeting with the newly appointed Minister for Primary Care, Andrea Leadsom MP.

Held at the Department of Health and Social Care, the meeting had been called by the newly-appointed Minister to outline her priorities for NHS dentistry in England – ensuring access for urgent dental care and increasing preventative activities such as perinatal advice and supervised toothbrushing schemes – and to hear the profession’s suggested solutions to the problems facing patients and NHS providers.

A wide range of stakeholders were present and discussed the critical need for contract reform as well as the delayed Dental Recovery Plan amongst other issues. On behalf of the College, Dr Pal made the case that the NHS needs to focus on arresting the exodus of the existing dental workforce and on increasing its appeal to newly-qualified professionals and those from overseas, and that to do this it needs to offer more attractive prospects by supporting a formal career progression framework for all those delivering NHS primary dental care. 

A general dental practitioner and principal of an NHS-contracted dental practices in Edgbaston and Derbyshire, Dr Pal has previously given evidence on NHS dentistry to the House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee, taken part in a meeting on access to careers and progression in dentistry at 10 Downing Street and addressed the House of Lords Committee on the Integration of Primary and Community Care. 

It is understood that the Minister will continue to engage with the profession through quarterly meetings.

Sign up to our monthly newsletter

College of General Dentistry News

New research reveals the missed opportunity of preventative oral care

World leading consumer health company Haleon, in conjunction with the College, has launched the ‘Dental Health Barometer’ to provide insights into the role of preventative oral healthcare in the UK.

Preventative care is defined as proactive dental care and advice that helps a patient to take action to maintain a healthy mouth, protecting against tooth decay, gum disease and more serious issues such as tooth loss and negative impacts on general health.

However, the survey of UK consumers and dental health professionals reveals that preventative oral care advice is not being offered consistently to patients. That’s despite a high incidence of tooth decay – with 70,000 people treated in UK emergency departments for the disease last year alone[1]. Just one third (34%) of oral health professionals said they always offer preventative care advice to patients, while one in four (25%) patients said they weren’t given preventative advice during their last dental appointment.

Over half (59%) of oral health professionals said that they are more likely to offer preventative advice for private patients than NHS patients, and over a third (37%) of NHS oral health professionals cited time constraints as the top reason for not being able to routinely offer preventative care advice, as opposed to just 15% of private oral health professionals. Though we know oral health professionals are working hard during a time of unprecedented pressure on the UK dental landscape, these figures come as little surprise given the widely reported ‘dental deserts’ where some areas of the UK have over 3,000 patients for every NHS dentist[2].

Additionally, oral health professionals differed on the preventative advice they would recommend to patients. While half (50%) said advice on additional oral hygiene products and brushing techniques were key, only 2 in 5 (41%) pointed to advice on diet as preventative care and just over a third (34%) would consider advice on caring for gums to be preventative advice.

Bas Vorsteveld, General Manager GBI, Haleon, said: “We know that oral health professionals are facing huge pressures, and we want to help support them to be able to provide better preventative advice – not just during routine dental appointments, but outside of appointments too. Our findings revealed preventative care advice is not always offered consistently, despite patients and dentists understanding its importance. We remain committed to addressing these issues and will look to develop new initiatives to support dental professionals.

“These will form alongside our existing initiatives which include providing educational materials to healthcare professionals, continuing to innovate and provide therapeutic oral care for patient issues at home and through campaigns like Shine Bright which raises awareness in children of the prevention of oral health conditions.”

The importance of preventative care

Nearly half (49%) of the UK public think preventative care for oral health is very important with over half (54%) of consumers saying they would prefer to receive preventative care advice for their oral health from their dentist. Meanwhile, the majority (87%) of oral health professionals think that preventative action is beneficial and aim to provide it proactively.

Confusion over the availability of preventative care on the NHS

However, there is a lack of understanding across consumers and oral health professionals over whether preventative care is routinely available on the NHS. Almost half (48%) of consumers said preventative oral healthcare advice is offered on the NHS, and over a third (34%) were unsure. Oral health professionals were more aware, with 74% saying preventative oral healthcare advice is offered on the NHS. Once again, younger dentists are more aware that preventative care advice should be routinely available on the NHS.

The importance of preventative care has already been acknowledged by the Department of Health, through the roll out of the Delivering Better Oral Health toolkit, which was updated in 2021. This aims to provide best practice guidance on routine preventative care. It is encouraging that over a quarter (76%) of oral health professionals surveyed were aware of this toolkit. Younger dentists are more likely to be aware of it, with 82% aged 23-34 were aware compared to 58% of dental health professionals aged 45 – 54.

Dr. Kate Fabrikant, Medical Affairs Director, Northern Europe, Haleon, further supports this: “Working in the industry, we must find ways to support the availability and accessibility of preventative oral care for all. We will continue to support dental professionals in facilitating behavioural change towards better oral health in their patients, whilst improving health literacy of the patients to seek out and engage in preventative care, to help them practice better everyday self-care and avoid longer term dental issues.  There is a long road to travel to normalise healthy smiles in society, and it will take professionals, industry and policy makers coming together to get to this end goal.”

Consumers are open to preventative advice, but guidance is needed

The study found patients have a strong level of trust in advice given by their dentist. Where it is offered, 9 in 10 (88%) found the advice helpful. The study found that NHS patients, younger people and men were less likely to proactively ask for preventative care advice.

Dr Abhi Pal, President at the College of General Dentistry said: “We are committed to quality and standards of excellence in general practice dentistry – helping professionals to do the best for their patients. The research revealed some fascinating insights into the role that preventative care plays in the UK. It’s quite properly a mainstay of both private and NHS appointments, and we support any initiative that promotes prevention.”

Regional split

The Barometer also found that there were regional discrepancies between both patients and oral health professionals. It was found that:

  • Only 40% of consumer respondents from Greater London think that preventative care is very important for oral health compared to over half (55%) in Northern Ireland and South West England.
  • Respondents from Greater London also were less likely to have received advice, with only 37% having encountered preventative care advice compared to over half of respondents (55%) in the South East and nearly half (47%) in the North East.
  • Over half (55%) of respondents in Wales said thinking back to their most recent trip to an oral health professional, they received preventative care advice verbally from them,
    • compared to 50% of those in Scotland,
    • 48% of those in England,
    • And under 2 in 5 (37%) in Northern Ireland
  • Northern Ireland have recalled a particularly low level of preventative care during dentist visits – with only slightly over a third of respondents (37%) having received advise at their last appointment. Despite this, the respondents from the region were some of the most interested in learning about preventative advice (53%) compared to (36%) of East England, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber who were less interested.
  • The East of England saw the lowest level of detail from their oral health professional on preventative care advice, with only 30% feeling their dentist provided a lot of detail.

A poster depicting the key findings of the research is available to download here.

[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/23/tooth-decay-patients-ae-nhs-dentist-shortage/

[2] https://www.libdems.org.uk/press/release/rise-in-dental-deserts-leaves-millions-struggling-to-get-nhs-dentist-appointment

In order to unlock insights from the study, the College and Haleon hosted a live webinar on 30 November 2023. A recording of the webinar is available to view below.

Sign up to the College’s monthly newsletter

College of General Dentistry News

Preventing antimicrobial resistance together

Understanding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the drivers for its development will help healthcare professionals work together to reduce its emergence and spread. It is well documented that the more we use antimicrobial agents, the more drug resistance will develop. Fourteen national dental organisations have come together to support the World AMR Awareness Week theme, “Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together”.

If no action is taken, AMR infections are predicted to lead to 10 million deaths annually by 2050; a number higher than the total caused by COVID-19 during the pandemic period. Therefore, dental professionals have worked together to update the online dental antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) toolkit with resources for dental teams, students and patients as well as wider healthcare professionals.1 The range of educational resources included a new website for students and educators providing links to various online training courses.2  

Our profession already focuses on the prevention of oral diseases to reduce the incidence of severe infections that necessitate the use of antimicrobial agents. Adhering to the best practice recommendations aimed at preventing infections, in addition to stewarding the use of antimicrobial agents, is very important. Accordingly, “Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention3” is included in the updated AMS toolkit1. It is also acknowledged that system-level changes are required to facilitate the provision of best practice. Furthermore, we need to look to the future and ensure appropriate disposal of antimicrobials to reduce environmental contamination.  Guidance on the appropriate disposal of waste in healthcare settings including dentistry is available in HTM07-01 and SHTN3.4

We encourage you to make the most out of these resources to ensure you and your team are working together to help keep your patients safe by tackling the problem of AMR:

  1. Dental Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit* is available via https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dental-antimicrobial-stewardship-toolkit
  2. Keep Antimicrobial Working (KAW) education resource for students and educator are available at https://bsac-kaw.co.uk/
  3. Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention is available via https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention
  4. Safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste is available via https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/B2159iii-health-technical-memorandum-07-01.pdf and for Scotland, the Scottish Health Technical Note 3 (SHTN 3) in https://www.nss.nhs.scot/publications/waste-management-shtn-3/
  5. Dental Antimicrobial Stewardship in Scotland is available via https://www.sapg.scot/guidance-qi-tools/dental-stewardship/. SAPG Dental statement  recommending phenoxymethylpenicillin as first line when antibiotics are required for acute dento-alveolar infections available via https://www.sapg.scot/media/5473/statement-on-pen-v-in-dental-infections.pdf

This statement is developed and supported by the Association of Clinical Oral Microbiologists, College of General Dentistry, Association of Dental Hospitals, British Association of Oral Surgeons, British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry, British Dental Association, British and Irish Society of Oral Medicine, British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Faculty of Dentistry of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group and Health Education and Improvement Wales.

*Recent updates to the Dental Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit are in the process of being made online. If signposted to the former FGDP, users should instead visit https://cgdent.uk/standards-guidance/

College of General Dentistry News

Leading for change: sustainability review published

The College has published Sustainability in dentistry: Leading for change, a scoping review to inform and engage the dental profession, industry, and wider oral health and dental care infrastructure on the environmental sustainability of practicing dentistry.

With the sub-title Environmentally sustainable dentistry to address the climate crisis, the review is organised thematically to provide an in-depth exploration of a wide range of factors such as legislation, health service emissions targets, prescribing, procurement, education and regulation, and makes recommendations for change that can be undertaken by each part of the system. It also presents case studies of exemplar efforts made to address the environmental impact of dental care and oral health services, and includes suggestions for further reading.

The review was written by a team of eight Clinical Fellows working at national dental organisations as part of the Chief Dental Officer for England’s Clinical Leadership Scheme, with input from expert contributors from academia, dental practice and government organisations.

Produced with the support of the Office of the Chief Dental Officer for England and the College of General Dentistry, it aims to inspire positive change by all those involved in the provision of oral healthcare related products, services and policy.

On behalf of the authors, Amarantha Fennell-Wells, Senior Clinical Policy Manager at the Office of the Chief Dental Officer England, said:

“Dental care creates a significant carbon footprint, and we owe it to current and future generations to contribute to emissions reduction by making our dental practice as environmentally sustainable as possible. Each practice and all staff can play their part in delivering sustainability in dentistry, and our review synthesises information which we hope will be educational and inspiring of collaboration to achieve a more sustainable future for the profession and dental patients.”

The document is freely available to download via a new College webpage which signposts a selection of free e-learning resources, guidelines and other tools which dental practitioners and practices can use to understand and reduce their environmental impact.

ACCESS SUSTAINABLE DENTISTRY RESOURCES
College of General Dentistry News

Huge potential, but dentistry remains isolated – President’s message to healthcare integration committee

The President of the College, Dr Abhi Pal, has given evidence to the House of Lords Committee on the Integration of Primary and Community Care.

Addressing Peers remotely during an evidence session held yesterday afternoon, he said that while there are huge potential benefits for patients if dentistry were to become more integrated within wider NHS care delivery, in practice dental care provision remains isolated.

Dr Pal, a general dental practitioner and Principal of an NHS-contracted dental practice in Edgbaston, said there has been a lack of national policy to promote such integration, and that the current dental contract, along with other systemic constraints, actively gets in the way of achieving it.

In wide-ranging evidence, he also:

  • said dental representation and input into Integrated Care Boards was inadequate and needs to be formalised and properly resourced
  • noted the role of dental hygienists, therapists and nurses, in addition to dentists, in providing preventive messages in areas like diabetes, coronary heart disease, obesity and smoking
  • highlighted the bidirectional links between some oral health conditions and some wider health conditions, and the effects of the management of each on the other
  • referred to the ‘pockets of innovation’ in integrative care and flexible commissioning, such as the limited number of local and regional pilots around urgent care, diabetes and older patients, but made clear that they are exceptions to the norm
  • suggested that access within dental practices to patients’ medical records could enhance patient care

Dr Pal – the first elected President of the College, which became fully operational in 2021 – was speaking alongside representatives of the College of Optometrists and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, and is the only representative of the dental profession out of over 60 individuals who have either given evidence to the enquiry to date or are currently scheduled to do so.

In March, he addressed the House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee as part of an oral evidence session on NHS dentistry in England, telling it that if the government wishes to retain and reinforce the NHS dentistry workforce, it needs to offer greater professional fulfilment and recognition in addition to reforming the NHS contract.

Last year, he also visited No.10 Downing Street for a discussion on access to careers and progression in dentistry, and he has previously discussed these issues with the Shadow Health Secretary.

A transcript of the House of Lords evidence session featuring Dr Pal is now available at https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/13151/pdf/

The portion of the session featuring Dr Pal can be viewed above, and the full session can also be viewed online at https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/5fc7fcce-a4f8-484a-9d43-25250ac5ece5

Sign up to our monthly newsletter

College of General Dentistry News

CGDent and BADN call for deferral of mandatory vaccination as survey suggests a quarter of dental nurses are not fully vaccinated 

The College of General Dentistry and British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN) are warning of a potential catastrophe for dental patients if the planned implementation of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for all patient-facing staff in England is not deferred. 

Regulations came into effect earlier this month that will make it unlawful from 1 April 2022 for a CQC-regulated employer to deploy staff who are not fully vaccinated to work face-to-face with patients. The rules, which will apply to NHS and private providers alike, will effectively force dental practices to dismiss staff who have not received their first dose of an approved coronavirus vaccine by 3 February, and second dose by 31 March, unless they are clinically exempt, under 18, taking part in a COVID vaccine trial or can be redeployed into a non-patient-facing role. 

Both the College and BADN are unequivocal in their encouragement of dental professionals to take up the offer of coronavirus vaccination. However, interim results from the BADN COVID Vaccination Survey, based on the responses of over 1,000 practising dental nurses to date, show that 26% have not yet received two vaccination doses, and 24% will not have been double-vaccinated by the deadline.  

Responses to date are similar for both members and non-members of the association. If the findings are representative of the dental nursing profession as a whole – which makes up half the dental workforce – this would suggest an impending reduction in available dental staff in England of up to 12,000, or 12%, plus any dentists, dental therapists, dental hygienists, clinical dental technicians or orthodontic therapists who may not be double-vaccinated.  

The survey also found that 32% of respondents so far said they do not intend to take up the offer of a ‘booster’ dose, suggesting that staffing problems will only increase if the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ is later amended to require three doses.  

Dr Abhi Pal, President of the College of General Dentistry, and Jacqui Elsden, President of the British Association of Dental Nurses and an Associate Member of the College, said: 

“Dental nurses are a vital part of the team without whom dental care cannot be delivered, and the BADN’s data will only strengthen existing concerns in practices across the country.  

“Tens of millions of dental appointments have been missed during the pandemic, but while welcome additional funding has just been announced by NHS England to help tackle the backlog during February and March, losing up to a quarter of dental nurses from 1 April would lead to a precipitous reduction in care provision, quickly reversing any progress made and leaving millions of dental patients once again unable to get the treatment they need. We urge the government to defer implementation of the vaccination requirement for dental employers in order to avert a calamitous own goal.” 

Tonight at 7pm, a week ahead of the deadline to take up the first vaccination dose, the College is hosting Vaccination: your questions answered.  

Free for all dental professionals to watch live, speakers include Professor Jason Leitch, (Senior Clinical Advisor to the Scottish Government, CGDent Ambassador and regular explainer of all matters COVID in the broadcast media), and Sarah Buxton (HR and Employment Solicitor and legal advisor to the Association of Dental Administrators and Managers and the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy). Register here 

The full results of the BADN COVID Vaccination Survey will be announced in due course. The survey remains open and can be accessed at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VaccinationsSurvey

Sign up to our monthly newsletter

College of General Dentistry News

College response to NHS England announcement of additional dentistry funding

Commenting on the announcement that an additional £50m of funding will be provided for NHS dentistry in England over the next ten weeks, Dr Abhi Pal, President of the College of General Dentistry, said: 

“New funding for dentistry is to be welcomed, and today’s announcement will provide short-term help to a significant number of people who have struggled to get their oral health needs met during the pandemic, especially children and patients with autism, learning difficulties and severe mental illness.  

“However, it is important that longer term underfunding and recruitment problems are also addressed, and the NHS dental contract reformed, as even before the pandemic only half of adults in England were able to access NHS dental care. The College will also be supporting workforce retention through its Career Pathways programme.” 

Sign up to our monthly newsletter