Column
BDA dispatches A united front
with Mick Armstrong
The chairman of the British Dental Association’s Principal Executive Committee believes the BDA is better together, regardless of the outcome of September’s Independence Referendum
I
t’s a pleasure to accept the editor’s invitation to the British Dental Asso- ciation to write a regular column for this publication. The lively debate about the future of our own Associa-
tion in Scotland seems like a good place to start. Let me stress this isn’t an attempt to get into that other topical independence debate – as a native of the people’s republic of Yorkshire, I wouldn’t dream of imposing my views on the forthcoming referendum. I do, of course, have strong opinions on dentistry, irrespective of what happens after ı8 September. A couple of months ago, I was the lucky
recipient of traditional Scottish hospitality at the Local Dental Committees confer- ence in Stirling. We discussed many topics and how we’d put the world to rights, but I particularly want to focus on the concerns I heard, centred on a belief that the BDA is too centralised, remote and disinterested in Scottish affairs. I was at pains to reassure those colleagues, and would similarly like to reassure you, absolutely, that this was not and is not the case. As dentists know, we all have to cut our
cloth according to our measure and the BDA is no exception. We underwent a major membership restructuring last year
and had to make tough decisions to get our business on a sound footing. That meant ı7 BDA staff were made redundant, including one in Scotland. This is highly regrettable, but it means we are now on a more stable track for the future. In spite of challenging times, BDA
Scotland, led by national director Pat Kilpatrick, supported by staff in Stirling and by expert colleagues in London, continues to punch above its weight and deliver for dentists. Recent highlights include achieving a positive result for Scot- tish dentists in relation to DDRB awards, securing funding for defibrillators, VT places for all Scottish graduates, justice for VT trainers in getting their pension entitle- ments restored, and reducing the impact of overpayment recovery. An exhausting, but not exhaustive list of achievements and we can only do that because of the collective resources we can commit to supporting members in Scotland drawing on shared costs and expertise across four nations. Regardless of where dentists are located,
our raison d’être continues to be repre- senting and supporting the profession individually and collectively. Across the UK, many of our challenges in dentistry are the same. We know politicians’ interest in
dentistry fluctuates, whether in Westmin- ster or Holyrood. In this environment, it’s an uphill struggle to ensure the profession’s concerns get a hearing. I, for one, am glad that the BDA works with the press and lobbies politicians all year round to ensure our voice gets heard above and beyond the din of local and general elections and am so proud of what we have achieved so far. Sure, we strive to improve oral health
against unhelpful bureaucracy within a fixed budget. We are all answerable to the same frustrating regulator and the impact of economic constraints is universal. Notwithstanding these pres- sures, the combined strength of BDA and the Scottish Dental Practice Committee working together have made significant gains against unfavourable Scottish Government policy. This is an ongoing challenge and we will need many more of these to improve the working lives of dentists, our staff, and the services we provide. This is true of all four nations where we have members. The saying there’s strength in numbers
particularly applies to the dental profession (relatively small compared to most) so we need to fight these battles on a united front, however the land lies after ı8 September.
Scottish Dental magazine 21
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