Dental Conference Cancelled because Nurses Cannot Afford to Attend
The British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN) annual conference has been cancelled, because dental nurses cannot afford to attend.
The National Dental Nursing conference, which was due to take place in November, has been called off due to the turbulent economic climate and a lack of support from practitioners. Sue Bruckel, president of the BADN, said that the cost of the conference has been kept the same as the 2009 conference, but less funding is available for nurses to attend and as a result the event has been cancelled.
The cost for delegates is £120, which is a significant saving on the actual cost, which stands at £300-£400, however, the BADN does not receive official funding and nurses usually have to pay for their own ticket and this year people simply did not have the extra money to fund their ticket.
Bruckel added that many nurses were forced to take annual leave to attend the conference, as their employers would not allow them to take the day off and said that funding from Primary Care Trusts had also been reduced.
She also criticised the General Dental Council for increasing the registration fee to £120, a sum unaffordable for most nurses, due to their relatively low salaries.
Join this Discussion
