Biting back with Arthur Dent
Time f r change? T
he forthcoming r ef erendum on Scottish independence is forcing all of us to consider our relation-
ship with the rest of the UK. But, regardless of our views on the referendum issues, it would certainly seem prudent for organi- sations to prepare contingency plans in the event of a Yes vote. I am sensing a steady change of
mood among Scottish dentists. The annual Conference of Scottish LDCs (CSLDC) hosts delegates who are activists from LDCs throughout Scotland and this event is an excel- lent barometer indicating the feeling of grass-roots GDPs. The delegates who attend this conference not only represent high-street dentists, they are also leaders and opinion- formers within the profession. Almost every year at this
conference, a motion is proposed that Scotland should have its own General Dental Council, and routinely such a motion has been defeated. However, at the last conference, a motion on this topic was carried by a large majority, mandating the Scottish Dental Practice Committee (SDPC) to
raise the issue with Scottish Government. A significant reason for this
altered mood within the profession is a changing attitude, particularly among younger dentists, towards the UK organisations such as the GDC and the BDA. Working under a totally different GDS system, dentists in Scotland feel much less connected to their colleagues south of the border, and much less inclined to support the BDA as their representative body. This view can only be strengthened by the current turmoil within the BDA. It is clear that BDA membership
took a significant drop when the three-tier system was introduced and even dentists who continued their membership have expressed unhappiness with the new structure. Members are now tied-in for the first year of the new era, but many are saying that when this period ends on 31 May, they will resign from the BDA as they feel they are not getting value for money. Dentists are now openly speculating about the possibility of a Scottish Dental Association, as they are so dissatisfied with the bad decisions coming from the
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“Dentists are now openly speculating about the possibility of a Scottish Dental Association“
Wimpole Street BDA head office. They feel the Principal Executive Committee (PEC), which is the board of directors of the BDA, is showing very poor judgment. The dilemma is that most Scottish dentists also feel the Scottish representative committees, such as SDPC, are doing a good job in representing dentists’ interests, supported by the hardworking staff at the BDA Scotland offices in Stirling; staff who are already overworked due to the redundancy of a colleague last year, which was yet another question- able decision by the PEC. With an active and thriving
BDA Branch and Section structure throughout Scotland, many dentists feel their loyalties are split between an in-tune and listening BDA structure in Scotland and a distant and entrenched PEC in London, and they are asking if the solution is to break away, while at the same time retaining the outlines of the Scottish organisation. It is not an impossible dream; the
outline exists today and the CSLDC and Scottish Dental Fund, while connected to the BDA, are essentially independent of it. Has the time come for a Scottish Dental Association?
Column
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www.scottishdentalmag.co.uk Scottish Dental magazine 5
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