DTUK1510

PUBLISHED IN LONDON F rederick Howe has been appointed as the new den- tistry minster by the coali- tion government. As the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality, he will also be respon- sible for NHS Constitution, NHS Commissioning Reform, Prima- ry Care, Medicines, Pharmacy & Industry, NICE, Research and Development, Innovation and Finance and Review of Arm’s Length Bodies. Earl Howe has been opposi- tion spokesman for Health and Social Services in the House of Lords since 1997. In 1995, he was appointed Parliame- ntary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence, a post he relinquished at the 1997 Gen- eral Election. Following the General Elec- tion of 1992, he was Parliamen- tary Secretary (Lords) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The other members of the new ministerial health team are Simon Burns, Paul Burstow and Anne Milton. Ms Milton will have the responsibility for issues regarding fluoridation. Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley said: “We have a very strong ministerial team with a wealth of experience in the field of health. Simon Burns previ- ously served as a Health Min- ister as well as, more recently, working on the shadow health team. Since 1999, Paul Burstow has worked on the older people’s brief and has a special interest in social care and disability issues. “Anne Milton, who worked for the NHS for 25 years, has a wide range of hands-on experi- ence, including nursing in hospi- tals, as a district nurse, and sup- porting GPs and nurses working in palliative care. And Earl Howe was opposition spokesman for Health and Social Services in the House of Lords from 1997.” He added: “Together, we will build an NHS in which the patient shares in making decisions; where quality standards are evidence-based and form the basis of the de- sign of services and their management; and where the objective is consist- ent improvement in the outcomes we achieve, so that they are amongst the best in the world. We will create a more integrated public health service at the heart of healthcare policy and we will offer support, security and services to those in need of personal and social care.” The Conservative and Liberal Democrat coali- tion government have re- vealed their full agreement in a document entitled The Coalition: Our Programme for Government. The 30- page document summaris- es government policy aims across all departments, in- cluding the NHS: It says The government be- lieves that the NHS is an impor- tant expression of our national values. We are committed to an NHS that is free at the point of use and available to every- one based on need, not the ability to pay. We want to free NHS staff from political micromanage- ment, increase democratic par- ticipation in the NHS and make the NHS more accountable to the patients that it serves. That way we will drive up standards, sup- port professional responsibility, deliver better value for money and create a healthier nation. In terms of dentistry it states that: We will introduce a new dentistry contract that will focus on achieving good dental health and increasing access to NHS dentistry, with addition- al focus on the oral health of schoolchildren. DT June 7-13, 2010 VOL. 4 NO. 15 DCP ARF The General Dental Council (GDC) is reminding all den- tal care professionals not to miss the 31 July deadline to pay their annual retention fee (ARF) to remain on the regis- ter. All dental care profession- als must be registered with the GDC to work in the UK. The fee is £96 for dental nurses, dental technicians, dental therapists, dental hygienists, clinical den- tal technicians and orthodontic therapists. It’s important to re- member that if they don’t pay, they will be putting their reg- istration at risk. The GDC will not be able to accept any pay- ments received after 31 July. Military healthcare awards The Welsh Assembly Govern- ment is asking people to nom- inate individuals or teams who provide care and support to service personnel for the Military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards (MCH- PA). The UK-wide awards celebrate the partnership be- tween Britain’s military and heath care workers, and are open to civilian health staff and military medics working within the Defence Medical Services, the NHS, and private or voluntary sectors. They honour the people, projects and initiatives that provide serving military personnel (including Reserves), their families and Service veterans with the very best in health- care and social care. Welsh Health Minister Edwina Hart said: “I am pleased that in the third year of these awards we have the opportunity again to celebrate the hard work, commitment and dedication shown by health professionals from across the public, private and voluntary sector in car- ing for the men and women of the Armed Forces. I would encourage people to consider nominating either themselves or others for these awards, as it is important that we recog- nise their contribution to im- proving the lives of service personnel and veterans.” De- tails on the awards, including how to apply or nominate, are available at: www.militaryci- vilianhealthawards.org. The closing date for nominations is 9 July 2010. A fairy good movie Denplan, the payment plan provider, will be helping to promote the new children’s blockbuster Tooth Fairy. It has signed a deal with Twentieth Century Fox and will be high- lighting the benefits of good oral health for children and publicising the Denplan brand and the film through the ad- vertising campaign. See page four for more details. www.dental-tribune.co.uk Legal event Chris Baker looks back on Man- chester event focusing on legal issue in dentistry Referrals Organise a referral evening at your practice and highlight your services, says Dr Dattani Sedation stories Dental Protection discusses vari- ous ways to minimise risk when using sedation on patients News in Brief Practice Management EducationCourse ReviewNews Rock hard tooth Payment plan provider teams up with Hollywood family film to promote oral health page 4 pages 8&10 page 14 pages 18-21 Earl Howe takes on role as minister for dentistry Minsterial portfolios finalised; Earl Howe takes on dentistry with exception of fluoridation; new government releases coalition plans