Better deal for women dentists

A new report undertaken by the Chief Dental Officer, Dame Margaret Seward, has been given the thumbs-up from Health Minister, Hazel Blears.

The report identifies the measures that need to be taken to enable women to realise their full career potential in dentistry. Hazel Blears said: 'Dame Margaret's recommendations go wider than better provision for career breaks. She has identified aspects of the current remuneration system for NHS dentists which fail to give career satisfaction, and she highlights some of the problems some women dentists face in meeting their contractual commitment to provide 'out of hours' services.'

Dentistry is becoming an increasingly popular career for women and, by 2005, there will be more women than men graduating from dental schools. But women generally earn less than men from practising NHS dentistry and proportionally fewer women are practice owners in the general dental services.

The report also takes on board many of the recommendations the BDA made in its submission to the review.

Dr John Renshaw, chairman of the BDA's Executive Board, said: 'We hope that this report represents the first step in the Government's strategy to create better working conditions for women dentists and to encourage them to return to work after a career break. Improving the working conditions for women dentists is key to ensuring that the current shortages faced in the NHS dental workforce are tackled head on.'

Head hunted CDO is wary of rivals

Staff at the Postgraduate Centre in Salisbury were delighted when Dame Margaret Seward, Chief Dental Officer came to officially open the extension to the clinical skills laboratory. The facility had been developed into a hands-on provision for 12 operators with phantom heads to be used for restorative, periodontal and oral surgery procedures. Hands-on courses, said Dame Margaret, can be of use in the future for men and women returning to general practice after a career break. Special thanks for the project went to Postgraduate Dean Ray Reed and all at the Dental Deanery at Wessex, Victoria Reese, postgraduate tutor at Salisbury, the Postgraduate Centre staff and Minerva , the company responsible for selling the equipment.

Lord Hunt opens GDC's new chamber

Health Minister Lord Hunt opened the GDC's new Council Chamber at 37 Wimpole Street recently.

Lord Hunt said, 'The GDC is undergoing a formidable programme of reform, which the Department of Health supports and allows more lay members on the Council. It is essential for the protection of patients, and for the continued high standards of dentists and the other professionals who work in the dental team, that the momentum is maintained and the reforms are delivered. The opening of this Chamber marks these unprecedented changes.'

The Chamber opening was followed by a reception afterwards, where GDC Members and staff were joined by representatives from dental organisations, consumer groups and other healthcare regulatory bodies to celebrate the opening.

GDC President, Professor Nairn Wilson also added that the new Council Chamber marks the beginning of a new era for the Council.

He said: 'With the support of the profession, Departments of Health and other stakeholders, the Council has recently made a huge step forward in modernising the regulation of the dental profession. Lord Hunt and Nairn Wilson pictured above at the opening

Now, with the necessary legislation to create a new Council and with the government's promise of further orders to amend the Dentists Act, this new Chamber will be the home of the reformed General Dental Council, embracing all members of the dental team, which we plan to establish in 2002.'

IIP award for postgraduate department

South West Dental Postgraduate Department received an Investors in People award recently. They were the first dental postgraduate department to be awarded an IIP award and the first academic department in the University of Bristol to achieve one. The ladies (left to right) are: Kate Bull, Sheila Osbourne, Debbie Marriott, Feona Horrex and Sharda Panchal.

Mandec plays host to annual lecture

Manchester Dental Education Centre (MANDEC) was the venue for the prestigious annual lecture by Professor Nairn H. F. Wilson recently.

Chairman of the MANDEC Board of Management, Josef L. Rich OBE, paid tribute to professor Wilson for his unstinting service to dental education over many years, and the enormous debt that was owed to him by the dental profession in general and Manchester in particular. Professor Wilson and the MANDEC chairman are pictured following the event.

Good Practice goes live

The British Dental Association's Good Practice Scheme goes live at this October's International Dental Showcase in Birmingham.

When the Scheme was first announced at the BDA's Annual Conference in May, nearly 150 packs were sold in three days to practices wanting to take part in the pre-launch scheme.

By working with the Patients' Association in the development of the Scheme, the BDA aims to create something which is both patient-friendly and useful to practices.

The BDA's Good Practice Scheme manager, Lesley Derry, said:'We want patients to know that, if their practice is a member of the BDA Good Practice Scheme, they can expect a certain standard of care. We believe that it will improve dentist-patient communication and will be a real boost to those practices displaying the Good Practice plaque.'

The BDA hopes that the Good Practice plaque will become a recognisable brand and will instil confidence in the patients of those practices which have signed up to the Scheme.