DTUK1710

Published by Dental Tribune UK Ltd © 2010, Dental Tribune UK Ltd. All rights reserved. Dental Tribune UK Ltd makes every effort to report clinical information and manufacturer’s product news accurately, but cannot assume responsibility for the validity of product claims, or for typographical errors. The publishers also do not assume responsibility for product names or claims, or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Dental Tribune International. Managing Director Mash Seriki Mash@dentaltribuneuk.com Director Noam Tamir Noam@dentaltribuneuk.com Editor Lisa Townshend Tel: 020 7400 8979 Lisa@dentaltribuneuk.com Features Editor Ellie Pratt Ellie.pratt@ dentaltribuneuk.com Advertising Director Joe Aspis Tel: 020 7400 8969 Joe@dentaltribuneuk.com Sales Executive Sam Volk Tel: 020 7400 8964 Sam.volk@ dentaltribuneuk.com Marketing Manager Laura McKenzie Laura@dentaltribuneuk.com Design & Production Keem Chung Keem@dentaltribuneuk.com Dental Tribune UK Ltd 4th Floor, Treasure House, 19–21 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8BA T he new dentistry minister has confirmed that the gov- ernment will review the details of the NHS dental ‘system that we have inherited’. Earl Howe, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health with responsibility for dentistry, also confirmed that the govern- ment’sproposedreformswillbean- nounced once they have talked to the profession and patient groups. Earl Howe’s comments were said during the Queen’s Speech Debate in the House of Lords, in response to a speech by Lord Col- wyn, a dental surgeon and Con- servative Peer. Lord Colwyn spoke of dentistry as being at ‘another crossroads’. He said that the decisions made in this Parliament to trans- form the delivery of NHS dentist- ry will be “extremely important. We have been left with an unfin- ished reform following the 2009 Steele review. We must grasp this opportunity if we are to improve the oral health of the nation”. Lord Colwyn, who is also an officer of the All-Party Parlia- mentary Group for Dentistry (to which the BDA is elected secre- tariat), said that the challenge of reforming dentistry—to deliver a better system both for patients and dentists— comes at a time when tough financial decisions are to be made across all White- hall departments. He also welcomed the coalition government’s commit- ment in their programme for government. “Theacknowledgementofden- tistry in this document is very posi- tive and much needed,” he said. He also alluded to the extra regulation that dentists will have to adhere to as both NHS and private practices will have to be registered with the Care Quality Commission by the end of March next year. Lord Colwyn called the chal- lenges ‘threefold’. “First, the Gov- ernment must complete the un- finished reforms, learning from the mistakes of the much criti- cised 2006 contract—in particu- lar, avoiding the failure properly to pilot change. The contract was so disastrous that it initially saw access fall dramatically. Only in the past six months has access climbed back to the level it was at in 2006. I am delighted that the government have committed to pilot any changes. “Secondly, we must pursue consistently high-quality commis- sioning of primary dental care. Some PCTs perform well, but many have room for improvement. They must be properly supported in their work, particularly by en- suring that they employ or have access to dental practice advisers and dental public health expertise. “Thirdly, there must be a com- mitment to tackling oral health inequalities to close the unaccept- able chasm which exists between those with good and poor oral health as highlighted in the British Dental Association’s general elec- tion manifesto, Smiles all round,” he said. He ended his speech saying: “the coalition has made it clear that dentistry is a priority. The task now is to work out the detail with the profession, to deliver real cha- nge for patients and dentists.” DT Government to review its dental ‘inheritance’ N HS Bristol has laun- ched its new iPhone ap- plication giving people information about local NHS dental services. The application features details of every NHS dental service in Bristol, their con- tact information and their GPS location. It also contains information about GPs and Walk-in Centres. Other features include an ‘In Case of Emergency’ (ICE) option, an alert appointment reminder service and recorded messages with instructions on how to deal with specific health emergencies. Deborah Evans, NHS Bristol chief executive, said: “This appli- cation is a way for us to open serv- ices up to the public and provide genuine information and choice for patients. I’m excited at the way we can use new technologies to improve patients’ choice and I’m sure that the people of Bristol will feel the same way.” Theapplicationhasbeendevel- oped in partnership with Bristol- based company MyOxygenMobile, and is the first application of its type in the UK. It is in the process of being developed for the new ‘An- droid’ platform of mobile phones. Andrew Farmer, MyOxygen- Mobile manager, said: “We fo- cussed on making the application clear and accessible using familiar icons and images to help the user. We feel the application is great for the people of Bristol, a perfect way of using new technology and we are keen to see how successful it will be.” The application can be down- loaded for free through iTunes. DT NHS? There’s an App for that The Government is to review NHS Dentist The app will help the peeple of Bristol access services June 28-July 4, 20102 News United Kingdom Edition