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Your NHS dentistry and oral health update
Friday 2 July 2021 (Issue 18)
An update from Sara Hurley and Ed Waller
Dear colleague,
On 5th July 1948, the National Health Service was founded and so, this Monday, we celebrate its 73rd birthday. On the creation of the NHS, dental care became accessible for millions in need.
Since then, huge strides have been made in the nation's oral health: in 1948 more than three quarters of the adult population had no natural teeth; today this is just 6%. The series of national dental surveys, carried out since 1968, traces England's improving oral health and is testament to the dental profession’s commitment to quality care and prevention. We should be incredibly proud of the role that NHS dentistry has played in achieving this.
On Monday we met with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Dentistry and Oral Health. We were delighted to have the chance to talk to parliamentarians and advocate for the importance of NHS dentistry. We emphasised the superb work being done by dental professionals working in the NHS.
In this bulletin you can find updates on NHS birthday celebrations and the upcoming NHS Parliamentary Awards.
There is also information on supporting patients with learning disabilities, handling complaints, providing care to migrants and an important notice on the extension of the measure to suspend the need for patients to sign dental forms.
Best wishes,
Sara and Ed
Sara Hurley
Chief Dental Officer England
Ed Waller
Director for Primary Care
NHS England & NHS Improvement
NHS's 73rd Birthday, Monday 5 July 2021
Thank you day
On Sunday 4 July, the Together coalition – a small non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing people together – will lead a national day of thanks and recognition to celebrate the incredible work of our NHS staff, as well as all key workers and others in our communities who have helped us through this challenging year. Find out how you can get involved on the Thank You Day website.
Light up blue
On Saturday 3 July, landmark buildings in towns and cities across the country are helping the NHS celebrate as it turns 73 this year.
We are asking for local landmarks and iconic buildings across England to 'light up blue' – particularly those who have been enlisted as vaccination sites, including Salisbury Cathedral, Wembley Stadium, West Ham and Tottenham football grounds, Basingstoke Fire Station, Waterloo Clock – to say ‘Happy Birthday’ to the NHS and to recognise its special place in our lives.
While marking all that the NHS has achieved, we will also remember those who have lost their lives to COVID-19 through this simple act of respect.
Memorial service
On Saturday 3 July, the NHS will hold a special memorial service in the Blossom Memorial Garden in East London to remember NHS colleagues who have sadly died during the pandemic.
The service will be conducted by Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of the Humanist Society and will include speeches from Prerana Issar, Chief People Officer for the NHS, Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the Association of Medical Royal Colleges and Elaine Thorpe, Critical Care Nurse.
St Paul's service 5th July
NHS staff who were on the frontline in the battle against COVID-19 will be at the heart of a special service of commemoration and thanksgiving to be held at St Paul’s Cathedral on Monday 5 July, the anniversary of the health service’s foundation. Dentistry will be represented by Deputy Chief Dental Officer Rebecca Harris and Charlotte Waite from the British Dental Association.
Led by the Very Reverend Dr David Ison, Dean of St Paul’s and the Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, it will recognise the dedication and commitment of all those who have played their part in combating coronavirus across the NHS, care sector and beyond.
NHS Parliamentary Awards national ceremony, Wednesday 7 July, 3pm
The NHS Parliamentary Awards is an annual programme run by the NHS, designed to give Members of Parliament the opportunity to recognise the achievements of teams and organisations across the health and social care sector. This year, from more than 700 entries submitted by almost half of all MPs in England, senior NHS experts have chosen seventy outstanding nominations.
The NHS' National Medical Director Stephen Powis has written an article in Politics Home rightly praising the dedication of NHS staff, including the dental profession: "The coronavirus pandemic, the greatest public health challenge in the history of the NHS, has prompted a record number of nominations from MPs. They have rightly sought to shine a light on the dedication of nurses, midwives, GPs, physios, pharmacists, healthcare assistants, dentists, porters, cleaners, and countless other staff who have contributed to the unprecedented response."
We are particularly proud that Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise Devonport Dental Education Facility has made it through to the shortlist for the Health Equalities Award. Nominated by the their local MP Luke Pollard, PDSE established a community clinic to improve access to dental care for vulnerable adults.
Read more about the NHS' regional winners online.
Making a dental appointment a more positive experience for those with a learning disability
Going to the dentist may not be a positive experience particularly if you have a learning disability. In May Sara Hurley and the NHS' National Clinical Director for Learning Disabilities and Autism Roger Banks issued a bulletin with the latest advice and guidance on how to best support patients.
We are very happy to share with you this video, produced by Health Education England and Makaton, where Charlotte Waite gives advice to patients on how to make a dental appointment a positive choice. Please do take a look and share the video and the bulletin with your colleagues.
Temporary approval to suspend the need for signatures on dental forms (extension to 31 August 2021)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has approved an extension to an existing temporary measure in England to help limit the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) by suspending the need for patients to sign prescription, dental and ophthalmic forms. The suspension has been in place since 1 November 2020 and is now extended for a further 2 months until 31 August 2021.
This is to avoid cross contamination and help minimise the handling of paperwork when collecting medicines or receiving dental and eye care.
This is a temporary approval in light of coronavirus (COVID-19). The full notice from the DHSC is online.
Dental health migrant health guide from Public Health England
Public Health England has produced advice and guidance on the health needs of migrant patients for healthcare practitioners, along with a useful list of resources to support you to offer the very best care and information. You can find the guide online.
Entitlements to NHS services for migrants in England: a video for patients from Public Health England
K041B form collections to be resumed
NHS Digital paused the collection of 2019/20 complaints information, also known as the KO41B form, from general and dental practices. This meant there was also no publication of data for the 2019/20 year. Recording, managing and resolving written complaints is an important part of modern service delivery and provides vital feedback for ongoing service improvement. NHSD have confirmed that collections will resume from the 9 August to capture complaints recorded in 2020/21.
In response to feedback through the GP bureaucracy review and the KO41b consultation exercise run by NHS Digital, several simplifying changes to the collection and return process have been made to help ease the burden. This includes extending the collection window from six weeks to 12 weeks.
This is a mandatory data collection and practices are asked to submit their returns by 30 October. Further details on the process and the changes can be found on the NHS Digital website.
Free successful dental complaints handling workshops
NHS England would like to invite you to attend a Free Dental Complaints Handling workshop which includes 3 hours verifiable CPD. The workshops have been developed to support you in handling complaints and improve the service provided to patients.
The workshops will cover:
- Things you have to know – a guide to the 2009 complaints regulations and other essential requirements;
- What good looks like in complaints handling – including how to craft acknowledgements, responses and apologies;
- Information about how you will interact with bodies such as the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and Care Quality Commission regarding complaints.
The workshops will be facilitated by Lee Bennett, Strategic Complaints Lead at NHS England and Dr Sue Boynton, Independent Dentolegal Consultant.
Each date will have two sessions available (you only attend for one); a morning session starting at 9:30am, and an afternoon session starting at 1:30pm:
- 9 September 2021 – Hotel Pullman Liverpool, King's Dock, Port of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 4FP
- 10 September 2021 – Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel, Portland St, Manchester M1 4PH
- 7 October 2021 – Novotel Southampton, 1 W Quay Rd, Southampton SO15 1RA
- 8 October 2021 - Holiday Inn Portsmouth, Pembroke Rd, Portsmouth PO1 2TA
- 18 November 2021 – Jury’s Inn Nottingham Hotel, Station St, Nottingham NG2 3BJ
- 19 November 2021 – Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre, Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham B5 4EW
Additional sessions are planned to take place elsewhere in the country in early 2022 (North East, Yorkshire, East of England & South West). We hope to advertise these later in the year.
Please note that places are limited and are offered on a first come, first served basis. Due to the limited number of places available for each workshop, we request that no more than two members of staff from the same practice attends. These must be the Practice Manager (or equivalent) and/or the Senior Practice Partner.
To book a place, please contact england.complaints-training@nhs.net with the following information:
- Details of the session you wish to attend (including whether you’d prefer to attend in the morning or afternoon);
- Your name;
- Your practice name;
- Your practice role;
- Your GDC registration number (where registered);
- A contact telephone number.
Eric Rooney's masterclass on a career in dental public health
Former Deputy Chief Dental Officer Eric Rooney has delivered an online "masterclass" on Dental Public Health. Organised by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry, Eric delivers an informative session on developing a career in dental public health with helpful pointers for members of the dental team and other professionals. Eric was President of the BASCD from 2016-17.
NHS Business Services Authority June bulletin
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has published it's June bulletin to dental commissioners, providers and performers. Articles in this month's edition include:
- Quarters 1 and 2 report in Compass
- Annual Reconciliation Report
- Submitting your non-domestic rates claim
- COVID-19 triage form changes
- Maintain access to Compass and WebEDI
- Immigration Health Surcharge
The bulletin is online on the NHSBSA's website.
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Previous NHS dentistry and oral health bulletins
Previous bulletins can be accessed by clicking on the links below:
NHS primary care bulletin
The NHS primary care bulletin provides resources on health policy and practice and we encourage you to sign up for this, too. It is aimed at teams across general practice, dentistry, community pharmacy and optometry.
A reminder of the latest COVID-19 advice and guidance
NHS updates to the profession
Key updates from the Chief Dental Officer and the NHS dentistry and oral health team are all online here.
Transition to Recovery: Dentistry's standard operating procedure
The latest version was published on Tuesday 3 February 2021. Changes to the previous SOP are in yellow. You can read the SOP online here.
Urgent Dental Centres: Standard Operating Procedure
Changes to the previous SOP are in yellow. It was updated on Tuesday 3 February 2021 and is online here.
COVID-19: infection prevention and control dental guidance
The guidance is an appendix to and should be read in conjunction with the national guidance on infection prevention and control for COVID-19 . You can read the general guidance and the specialist dental appendix online here.