www.mddus.com WHISTLEBLOWERS


GIVEN NEW PROTECTION NHS STAFF who blow the whistle will be given greater protection, the health secretary Andrew Lansley has announced. Changes are being made to the NHS Constitution to protect all health service


workers who raise concerns. But the changes will also make it clear that NHS employees have a duty to "report bad practice or any mistreatment of patients receiving care from the health service." The Department of Health (DoH) said the amendments will be enshrined in the NHS Constitution and associated guidelines in early 2012 in the hope of encouraging more staff to come forward with concerns.


APPLY FOR £1,000 TRAINING GRANT


MDDUS DENTAL trainee members can apply now for a £1,000 grant to use in education and training. Successful applicants must be working in a dental


training practice where both the trainee (commencing training in August 2011) and trainer are MDDUS members. MDDUS recognises that it can be tough financially embarking on a dental career and the grants can be used for any educational activity including attendance at courses, conferences and seminars, practice training and the purchase of text books. For more details, including full terms and conditions,


contact kwalsh@mddus.com. The deadline for grant proposals is January 31, 2012. MDDUS would like to congratulate this year’s grant winner – Amy Louise Harper, a VDP at Loanhead Dental Practice in Midlothian.


NEW DENTAL CONTRACT ‘PRIORITISES


CHILDREN’S ORAL HEALTH’


A NEWdental contract that aims to improve children’s oral health is being piloted in England. Dentists taking part in the trial will


be paid for the number of patients they care for and the health results, rather than the number of courses of treatment performed. The old contract was criticised for encouraging clinicians to concentrate on activity with no specific rewards for high quality care. The government hopes to introduce


a new contract across the country that will improve the oral health of NHS patients – particularly children. The trials are taking place at 68 practices and will look at ways of increasing patient access and promoting preventative dental treatments like fluoride varnish. The launch of the pilots has been welcomed by the British Dental Association who described the current contract, introduced in 2006, as “bad for patients”.


GDC ACTS TO SPEED UP CASE HANDLING


AN INCREASE in the number of decision meetings and hearings to clear a backlog of cases and an improved process to fast track the most serious ones are among a raft of changes announced by the GDC to improve the handling of complaints against dental professionals.


The GDC said the changes mark the first phase of a complete overhaul of its complaints handling (fitness to practise) processes. Other measures include the


provision of clinical advice at the outset, where appropriate, in order to complement the early diagnosis process and ensure cases are handled appropriately. The GDC will also introduce a rigorous quality assurance process for all stages of the complaints handling process and the introduction in 2011 of a new case management database to assist workflow and provide management information.


Additional measures aimed at further improving timeliness and proportionality in fitness to practise processes will require legislative change and the GDC is working with the Department of Health to effect these. A full consultation on the nature of these changes is planned for early 2012. Director of Regulation at the GDC, Neil Marshall, said: "We are confident that the changes we are putting in place will help us to assure the public and the dental profession that we are performing our public protection duties as efficiently and effectively as we possibly can."


NEW YOUNG DENTIST GROUP


A NEW group has been set up to represent young dentists in Scotland. William Keys and Paul Mooney established the BDA


West of Scotland Young Dentist Group and plan to hold regular meetings, social events and training opportunities. Practitioners under 35, those within 12 years of graduation and dental students are invited to join the group. Applications are also open for positions including chairperson, secretary and social conveners until December 11, 2011. For more information email youngdentist@hotmail.co.uk


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