November 2020
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
This conference will bring together stakeholders with policymakers in Parliament and government to discuss priorities for dentistry in England – including:
- dental contract reform
- next steps for improving oral health
- key issues for the workforce
- the impact of COVID-19.
The agenda:
- Dentistry in England - challenges and opportunities for the industry, and priorities for supporting practices in the wake of the pandemic
- Dental care in a COVID-19 environment - delivering urgent dental care, maintaining safety and transitioning to full provision
- Key emerging issues for regulation, contract reform and responding to COVID-19
- Ensuring value for money from NHS dental services
- Dental Contract reform - lessons from the NHS prototype contract, indemnity costs, improving access and adapting to new ways of working, and moving forward from the impact of COVID-19
- Priorities for professional regulation in dental services
- The diversity challenge for dentistry - the impact of COVID-19 on BAME members of the profession
- Developing a holistic approach to oral health across primary care
- Next steps for public oral health - impact of the Starting Well Core Initiative, and improving prevention for people of all ages
A scan of relevant developments:
- Dental standard operating procedure: Transition to recovery - guidance for a phased resumption of full dental services in practices in England issued by The Office of the Chief Dental Officer
- Dentists facing uphill struggle, as missed appointments top 14m - BDA reporting impact of COVID-19 and additional safety measures, calling for government support including for equipment costs
- Majority of dental professionals believe that their stress and anxiety levels have increased - findings from the Dental Defence Union in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Dentistry Services inquiry - relaunched by the Health and Social Care Committee:
- looking at access, health inequity, dentistry within primary care networks, key workforce issues, commissioning, best practice and the dental contract
- supported by the NAO Dentistry in England memorandum requested by the committee
- Why re-invent the wheel if you've run out of road? - comments from the Chief Dental Officer in the British Dental Journal:
- outlining the opportunity for a profound change in oral healthcare experience for patients and the profession
- stating that the ‘anticipated phased recovery of services may be just the vehicle for greater flexibility in commissioning and scaling up reforms to contract’
- Take responsibility: Dentists issue open letter to Matt Hancock - concerns raised with the Health Secretary by the BDA on sustainability of services, patient access, and the cost and availability of PPE
The discussion in detail:
- the impact of the pandemic - delivering dentistry in a COVID-19 environment and what it means for the future of dentistry on dentistry as practices adapt to the new normal, including:
- supporting the wellbeing of the workforce
- practices opening up for routine provision - the practicalities, and how best to manage the backlog of appointments
- Urgent Dental Care Hubs - assessing their effectiveness in delivering urgent care through the pandemic
- transitioning towards full provision - following guidance from the Chief Dental Officer
- keeping patients and staff protected - and priorities for PPE provision, including the impact of:
- limitations on aerosol generating procedures following PHE’s guidance on risks associated with their use
- the one hour fallow period following such treatments on the capacity of surgeries
- dental contract reform and service delivery - The future of dentistry, as the sector moves forward from the pandemic, looking at:
- supporting practices - what more needs to be done, with concerns from the profession over sustainability in the wake of the pandemic, and the costs of PPE
- indemnity across the sector - emerging issues in the context of the impact of the pandemic
- dental contract reform - practical considerations, including:
- the progress of dental prototypes
- how the contract needs to adapt to support practices and patients as the sector adapts to the impact of the pandemic
- addressing concerns around capitation and the impact of reform to practice owners
- Government creates new National Institute for Health Protection - how to ensure that oral health is prioritised in its work
- developing the workforce, improving oral health and developing a holistic approach across primary care
- addressing concerns arising from the cancellation of dental exams scheduled to take place in 2020 and the resulting delay in dental students joining the workforce
- the next steps for aligning plans with Health Education England to ensure the workforce is equipped with the right skills and training to deliver patient and prevention focussed oral health care as they carry out phase two of their Advancing Dental Care Review, including pilots this year using best practice in flexible training
- the impact of the NHS Long Term Plan on dentistry, with its focus on oral health and inequalities
- developing integrated care systems across the country - including the continued implementation of the Starting Well Core Initiative in high priority areas which aims to improve oral health inequalities for 0-2 year olds
- working collaboratively and providing joined-up health care:
- what progress has been made
- the role of dentistry within integrated care systems and primary care networks
- learning from best practice
Policy officials attending:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders. Places have been reserved by parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Lords, and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care; HM Treasury and the National Audit Office.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference
