Government Future Forum “Sensible Line” says BDA
Following the recent report from the government regarding future changes, or the “Future Forum report” on the Health and Social Care Bill, the British Dental Association has shown its support.
The Bill has shown support for the return of control of the commissioning of dental care to the NHS Commissioning Board, a position the body was initially intended to have from the start. This position has been heavily backed by the BDA who believe the Government’s view “treads a sensible line but requires more detailed analysis.”
Amendments to the Bill have also been made, following voiced anxieties from the BDA. One of these points is the level of importance levied on professional input. The amended Bill has strengthened this with the introduction of a stronger duty role for commissioners to secure the advice of professionals. As well as professional input, the British Dental Association has emphasised an increase in the effectiveness of input at local level for care planning, which has also clearly had an influence of the newly amended Bill.
The role of Monitor in the dental sector has been an area that the dentistry community have wanted further explanation in, as well as a limitation on the monitoring of dental practices. While the government failed to fully reveal the role of Monitor, as well as not elaborating on whether it will license dental providers, it has conceded that its role will be reframed and readdressed.
While the Bill – in the eyes of the British Dental Association – still has a number of areas in which changes and clarity are needed, the BDA largely feels that good progress has been made, as Dr Susie Sanderson, Chair of the BDA’s Executive Board states, “While there’s more analysis to be done in order to understand properly the implications of today’s announcement, we are pleased to see that the central thrust of these reforms for dentistry, the move to national commissioning, has not been abandoned.”
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