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As a post script to my letter in the Autumn issue of Vital, as a result of good co-ordination between the profession, NHS management and colleges, our dental advisers have pursuaded local diploma courses to get back off the ground again.

I believe we now have around 75 places now available masterminded by the Norfolk dental advisers. Clearly there is still a long way to go before we get the NVQ system up and running.

Vital responds:

Vital thanks Linda for her promising update on their situation in Norfolk and are pleased to publish the following letter from Andy Furniss, a Dental Adviser for Norfolk. .

After our recent meetings we have now re-established approximately 60 diploma course places and a reasonably local college (Lowesoft college – Suffolk) has come into Norwich to provide an NVQ course for about 15 people. The area's past experience with NVQ providers has not been good but we have high hopes that it will work this time.

As far as additional NVQ courses are concerned I am led to believe that these take a lot of ground work before approval is given. This is more achievable by the educational colleges since they know the system and already have the structures in place for other NVQ courses. I am led to believe that it will probably take about a year or so to get the course available if the local educational courses wish to push it along. At present they seem reluctant to do this but further meetings are planned.

I think one of the difficulties for the Dental Nursing NVQ is getting the assessors for the course and I believe the current remuneration structure for the assessors doesn't help this.

I feel the profession needs to debate the whole issue around NVQ provision / funding particulary when the courses are not in areas of major population density.

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