Dr John Milne Discusses Dental Pilot Scheme
Dr John Milne, chair of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee, has called for “continued vigilance” in assessing the efficacy of dental pilots currently being undertaken with a view to changing the NHS dental contract.
Dr Milne said that it was important that issues arising from focus groups and participating dental practices are taken into consideration, but not allowed to deter dentists from the task in hand, which is to improve the current dental care system. BDA focus groups have mentioned concerns including concerns about implementing planned changes in small practices, anxieties about changes in the working life of associate dentists and the question of whether the changes can be introduced in a single phase.
Dr Milne said that the aim of the pilot project was to identify potential flaws of a new contract, as well as confirming positive changes and urged dentists not to be frightened of the issues flagged up by BDA focus groups. Dr Milne is eager to stress that the groups have been largely very positive about the pilot scheme, with many dentists saying that they felt they were able to practise in the same way they had been trained at university: to focus on patients and delivering first-class care, rather than worrying about the number of treatments they carry out.
Dr Milne said that “professional morale seems to have improved” as dentists feel that patients are getting better standards of care as a result of the pilot scheme. The BDA is working closely with the Department of Health to fine tune a new dental contract, which will replace the 2006 contract introduced by Labour.
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