BDA Chair Warns against “Minefield” of Potential Problems
The chair of the British Dental Association’s Executive Committee, Dr Susie Sanderson, has warned against a repeat performance of problems caused by the introduction of a new NHS dental contract in 2006.
Dr Sanderson took the opportunity to warn dentists about a “minefield” of potential difficulties facing dentists and patients over the coming years and urged the government to consider issues relating to the new contract very diligently. Dr Sanderson was speaking at the 2012 British Dental Conference and Exhibition.
Dr Sanderson slammed the 2006 contract as a “fiasco” and warned against similar problems caused by the introduction of a new dental contract, which is due to take place in the near future and encouraged the government to address existing concerns to ensure that the contract benefits both patients and dentists and irons out the flaws of the current system.
Dr Sanderson highlighted a number of concerns, including the development of local professional services, the transition of power from local trusts to national organisations and the recruitment of dental public health experts.
The BDA chair has also urged the Office of Fair Trading, which is due to publish the findings of an inquiry into dental services, to treat the matter with care and recognise dental services as a complex entity, rather than a commodity.
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