John Hunt retires

The Chief Executive of the British Dental Association, John Hunt, is to retire at the end of the year. John Hunt has been Chief Executive for the past eight years and has been instrumental in raising the profile of the Association and dentistry during this period.

Managing over 80 staff at the BDA headquarters, John has introduced a BDA mission statement, corporate plan, staff training and appraisal programme which led to the BDA receiving an Investor in People (IiP) accreditation last year.

John Hunt began his career working in the hospital dental service and then worked in general dental practice. He later worked as a senior dental officer at the Department of Health. In May 1993, he was appointed the Chief Executive and Secretary of the BDA. He holds an honorary lectureship at the Eastman Dental Institute and is treasurer of the Commonwealth Dental Association and the European Dental Liaison Committee. He is also the speaker of the FDI, World Dental Federation.

During his career, he has been active in international dental politics and has promoted the Association in Europe. He has also helped raise the profile of the BDA with other dental and professional organisations including the BMA.

Having seen through many successful changes at the Association, John is now keen to spend more time at his home in the West Country.

Charter Mark

Lord Hunt, Minister of Health, (right) presents Neil Kerruish with a Charter Mark for excellent service to the public.

Neil Kerruish is a partner in the Kerruish & Moore Dental Practice in Middlesbrough.

Bristol Alumni

The 2000 Newsletter of the Bristol Dental Alumni Association has recently been published and has been distributed to members. Non-members who would like to receive a copy please contact the Secretary, Dental Alumni, c/o Clinical Dean's Office, Dental School, Lower Maudlin Street, Bristol, BS1 2LY. Tel: 0117 928 4308, Fax: 0117 929 4150.

CVT reviews VT

The Committee on Vocational Training for England and Wales (CVT) has started a review of vocational training (VT).

CVT recognises that:

  1. a

    VT exists within today's society as well as within the health service.

  2. b

    Today's mandatory scheme is rooted upon voluntary arrangements from 1977 onwards.

At its termly meeting in January, 2000 CVT:

  • Identified areas falling within its remit that need to be refined or upon which guidance is needed.

  • Recognised that the roles of other professional and educational bodies affect the scope of VT.

  • Defined a timetable for the review process.

MANDEC form a Memorandum

L to R: J Howarth, Professor A Blinkhorn, N Ward, J Rich, I Wood and G Rodgers.