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The 'business of investing' on Friday, April 30 will be one of two workshops sponsored by the Medical Insurance Agency. Keith Taylor will demonstrate how to save over £15,000 in tax with seven investment strategies. Derek Gregory, also from MIA, will give some background to the turbulence in the world financial markets over the last few months. He will then discuss how a balanced portfolio can be constructed providing varying degrees of protection from short-term volatility.

This workshop will be of particular interest to those who require a return on their investments over and above that provided by building societies in a falling interest rate environment. 'The business of finishing' will be the second MIA workshop, also held in the afternoon. It will give guidance for the over-50s on how and when to plan for retirement. CGT and sale of a practice will be covered, together with guidance on how pension funds can be taken in a climate of declining interest rates.

On a slightly different tack, BDA Insurance Services will sponsor a workshop called 'Risk management and dentistry'. Roger Day, marketing development manager at CGU Risk Management, will outline the basic principles of risk management with a case study. He will also give guidelines for producing a disaster recovery plan.

'The business of quality with clinical audit', will investigate the concept of quality and how it can be implemented into clinical practice. Clinical audit will be explored as a tool to be used in everyday practice, as will patient satisfaction surveys and questionnaire design. The opportunities and funding of peer review and clinical audit in general dental practice will be discussed. Clinical governance is a concept that has been enthusiastically embraced by the Government; in this context the future of clinical audit and quality initiatives in primary dental care will be considered. Gordon Watkins, vice-chairman of the BDA Council, will be the speaker.

Ellis Paul, a GDP based in London, has lectured all over the world on the role of correct working posture for the prevention of occupational back pain among dentists. He will run two workshops on Friday called 'A pain in the neck'. Both direct and mirror vision will be taught, as well as the correct seating of the patient and nurse. The result will improve the health of the dentist, allow increased access and vision and produce a better quality of work.

Saturday May 1

An all-day workshop, 'The business of setting up in practice' will take place on Saturday, May 1. It will be a re-run of the popular workshop first held at the BDA headquarters in London. Chaired by Len D'Cruz, chairman of BDA Young Dentist Sub-Committee, this workshop will provide young practitioners with the essential advice and information needed to set up their own practice, including how to find a suitable location, apply for start-up grants and deal with business plans, finance, contracts, dento-legal matters, health and safety and basic marketing. This workshop can be attended separately from the conference.

Another important workshop with advice on better communication is the morning workshop, 'Negotiation — getting to yes'. Nick Nicholson from the Centre for Dental Services Studies at University of York will explore effective approaches to negotiation with the NHS. This will be a highly interactive workshop providing delegates with the opportunity to discuss and practice their negotiation skills and examine how these can be used in the management of dental services. It will show how working relationships between dentists and other parts of the NHS can be improved.

Relationships with patients are also important. This involves recognising a topic that has long been associated with dentistry — patient anxiety and dental phobia. This will be explored in the workshop 'The business of dental anxiety'. Organised by the BDA's CDS Group, the speaker will be Kate Tunna, lecturer in psychology at Birmingham Dental Hospital.

The most obvious consequence of severe dental anxiety is avoidance of treatment, be it preventative or restorative. It is well recognised that the assessment and treatment of dental anxiety is problematic for many general practitioners, but the ability to manage it effectively is necessary to prevent the physiological and psychological harm that patients can suffer when the condition is undiagnosed and untreated. GDPs should aim to provide intervention themselves, or, alternatively, know who to refer to and when. This workshop will look at the aetiology, assessment and treatment of dental anxiety, including pharmacological and psychological options.

Two workshops specifically designed for auxiliaries will also be held on the Saturday. The first will be run by the British Dental Practice Managers Association and will be called 'Use your management skills to realise the potential in your business'. It will explore the specific skills-mix and management roles required for dental business success, helping to identify how to develop skills, apply them and achieve true potential for business and the people connected to it. The support and guidance which the BDPMA can offer to achieve this will be explained, along with guidelines for recruiting a new practice manager.

'Dental nursing for the future' will take place in the afternoon and will look at issues facing the UK's oral healthcare services and the impacts upon the key roles of dental nurses. The possible development of these roles in order to make a full and effective contribution to the provision of high quality dental services will also be discussed.

Members of the dental team will be able to put forward their own views in a fully 'participative' workshop forum. The speakers will be Paula Sleight, president-elect of the BADN and Pat Harle, chair of the British Association of Dental Nurses Council.

For more information contact the BDA Conference Office on 0171 935 0875, x286.