March 2010
www.dental-practice.org
Michael Watson
Just what is happening at the GDC?
A
T the last meeting of the interim chief executive? When she is happening.
General Dental Council was appointed, the GDC chairman, Just who is the
(GDC) on 10th February, two Hew Mathewson, said: “We are very GDC accountable
items on the agenda were marked pleased to welcome Alison White, a to for its
as “confidential”. Members of the highly experienced senior executive.” spending or
public, the press and GDC staff were However, an article in the overspending?
excluded for four hours. Birmingham Post questioned why It’s not
Surgery design - We offer you: -
Although his does happen from no mention was made of “her role shareholders’
s 3 I T E V I S I T S T O D E T E R M I N E C L I E N T
R E Q U I R E M E N T S m O O R I N G D I M E N S I O N S
time to time at GDC meetings, what at Business Link – either in the West money they are
A N D C U R R E N T S E R V I C E L A Y O U T S
made this unusual was the length of Midlands or her previous job as spending; it’s not Government money
s & U L L B R I E F n I N C L U D I N G C L I E N T
A P P O I N T M E N T S A T O U R S H O W R O O M
time taken (four hours) and the fact head of Business Link London”. She they are spending. It’s your money
s $ E M O N S T R A T I O N O F E X T E N S I V E V A R I E T Y that the subject(s) discussed have not unexpectedly left her role as chief they are spending and yet they feel
O F P R O D U C T S B A S E D O N E R G O N O M I C S
S P E C I l C A T I O N A E S T H E T I C S A N D T Y P E S
been made known. executive of Business Link West that it is in the “public interest” not
O F D E N T I S T R Y
The press briefing that used to Midlands in September last year. to tell you about it.
s # R E A T E A N D D I S C U S S S E V E R A L C O N C E P T S
L E A D I N G T O l N A L S O L U T I O N A N D # ! $ P L A N S
happen at the end of the meeting After she left that job, 25 people There was a lot of enthusiasm
A N D E L E V A T I O N S
where we could ask for clarification were made redundant at that when a dentist, not a lay person,
s 0 R O V I S I O N O F S E R V I C E P L A N S A N D
R E Q U I R E M E N T S on issues raised did not take place. organisation and apparently there was elected to chair the GDC. If she
s & U L L P R O J E C T M A N A G E M E N T A N D 1 ! F R
W
O M
hen I questioned what happened have now been redundancies at the is not to lose the support of the
S T A R T O F P R O J E C T T O C O M P L E T I O N W I T H
D E D I C A T E D 0 R O J E C T % N G I N E E R T O M A N A G E on behalf on Dental Practice, I was GDC. The Council members, however, profession, dentist Alison needs
A N D P R O V I D E C U S T O M E R S U P P O R T
told: “The Chair, having consulted do not appear to have been told, or to tell chief executive Alison that
s % X P E R I E N C E D B U I L D I N G A N D S E R V I C E
C R E W S A V A I L A B L E T O K E E P h D O W N
T I M E vw ith the Registrar, may decide that an at least not until 10th February. it is the registrants who are paying
A N D D I S R U P T I O N T O A M I N I M U M W H I L S T
M A I N T A I N I N G A H I G H L E V E L O F Q U A L I T Y
agenda item should be considered in It is interesting that so many their wages and expenses and that
s & R I E N D L Y K N O W L E D G E A B L E S E R V I C E F Ra O M closed private session, if he or she changes are made by an interim registrants are entitled to know the
T R A I N E D A N D E X P E R I E N C E D S T A F F
considers it’s in the public interest to chief executive since they are usually state of the GDC’s finances.
do so. Items to be discussed in closed seen in business to be caretakers
Hague Dental Supplies of_f er sales,
private session will not be issued to patiently awaiting the arrival of a The Conservatives
design and engineering services
to the dental industry.
the public or the media, will not be new substantive chief executive and and the BDA
In London, Hague have one of
posted on the Council website and holding the business on course. On our front page we report on
the largest showrooms in the UK, may remain confidential after the
If she is not to lose
the views of the shadow health
viewings are available by
meeting has taken place.”
appointment (inc out of hours).
Roughly translated: “mind your
the support of the
minister Mike Penning about the
Government’s action in starting to
Hague also of_f er engineering and
profession, dentist
maintenance service packages on
own business”. Nor has anyone who pilot the recommendations of the
your equipment at agreed intervals
was present let on what happened.
Alison needs to
Steele Review’s proposals.
to suit your needs. At the depot, in
But it is our business: Dental Practice
Surrey, Hague stock a huge selection
tell chief executive
He said the Conservatives would be
readers who are registrants pay for
of parts and equipment – in order to
Alison that it is the
scrapping the existing dental contract
get you back up and running fast
the GDC, its members, its meetings, and replacing it with one based on
in an emergency. its staff and a prestigious building in a
registrants who are
patient registration and prevention.
costly part of London.
paying their wages
The proposed pilots, however,
Engineering solutions –
We offer you: -
As the Queen said in her Annus
and expenses...
will look at “increasing access to
s 4 Y P I C A L L Y A h O N E C A L L
O U T v S O L U T I O N F Rho O M rribilis speech, at the Guildhall in NHS dentists, introducing patient
O U R O W N E N G I N E E R S
1992: “No institution … should expect It appears that the redundancies registration, measuring quality as
s & U L L D I A G N O S T I C A N D R E P A I R F A C I L I T I E S W I T H
T R A I N E D E X P E R I E N C E D E N G I N E E R S to be free from the scrutiny of those are at a very high level and hardly well as quantity of treatment and
s 3 E R V I C E P A C K A G E S F O R N E W A N D E X I S T I N G
who give it their loyalty and support, illustrate key performance indicators. encouraging dentists to carry out
E Q U I P M E N T A T A G R E E D I N T E R V A L S
s ! V A S T S T O C K O F P A R T S A N D E Q U I P M E N
n
T
ot to mention those who don’t.” I am told that they were also more preventive work”.
A V A I L A B L E F R O M O U R D E P O T I N 3 U R R E Y n I N
This new secretive GDC may be subject to compromise agreements There does not appear to be a lot
O R D E R T O G E T Y O U B A C K U P A N D R U N N I N G
F A S T I N A N E M E R G E N C Y connected with the changes at the so effectively no one knows what separating the two sets of proposals
s & U L L T E L E P H O N E S U P P O R T A N D O U T O F
top. Not only is there a new chair of happened, not even members of the and it does appear as if the civil
H O U R S S E R V I C I N G
the body, Alison Lockyer, but also an council, or how many were involved. service have tried to make the new
interim chief executive and registrar, So what is going on at the GDC? It pilots acceptable to both Labour and
Hague Dental Supplies Ltd
Trident Business Centre,
Alison White, and an acting director looks as though it must be something Conservatives. Nevertheless there is
89 Bickersteth Road,
of external relations, Mike Browne, to do with an overspend by the last something unsettling about asking
Tooting Broadway, London
SW17 9SH
covering for the head of the press regime, but why the urgency and the dentists (and PCTs) to go to the
0800 298 5003 office, who is on maternity leave. secrecy? trouble of bidding to become a pilot
www.haguedental.com
Mike Browne has an impressive We should have a public meeting when after 6th May there may be a
CV on the GDC website, but it for the new regime to explain their different Government in power.
fails to mention he was head of precipitant actions and also perhaps Which brings me on to the BDA.
communications at Haringey council get the former president and former They are supposed not to favour
READER ENQUIRY DP 102 when the story broke about the Baby chief executive/registrar to come and either political party, especially in
P outrage. He acknowledged to the either defend their stewardship or the run-up to an election. Why then
trade publication PRWeek that the explain the overspend. After all, you does the General Dental Practice
death of Baby P and the Government can’t have it both ways; either the Committee line itself up so firmly
EXCEL AUTOCLAVES
CALL FOR OFFERS report which followed had “done new lot are right and the old lot are behind the Government’s ideas for
serious damage to the reputation of wrong or the old lot are right and the implementing Steele? Should it not
child protection in the borough and new lot wrong. be asking Mike Penning what he
nationally”. The registrants who will pick up the intends to do? And keep an open
And what of Alison White, the tab for all this deserve to be told what mind until after the election?
4
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