Your NHS dentistry and oral health update

Tuesday 1 February 2022 (Issue 41)

An update from Sara Hurley and Ali Sparke

Dear colleague,

As you will have seen on the news, the vaccination as a condition of deployment requirements are now being consulted on. This change in Government policy means we request that employers do not serve notice of termination to employees affected by the VCOD regulations. More detail is below. 

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has highlighted that child protection referrals for domestic abuse have climbed to nearly 669 a day, a shocking and tragic situation. Dental teams are well placed to spot the signs of abuse and children who have experienced this require extra support and adjustments. Please refer to dentistry's official safeguarding guide for detailed advice. More information can also be found in our special focus bulletins on domestic abuse and paediatric dentistry and children's oral health. Children with a safeguarding concern are a high priority for recall under the NHS' child dental recall guidance. 

Last week, we announced the first investment in NHS dentistry outside of usual allocations in a decade, with £50m for urgent care. We are heartened by the response from the profession, with many practices across the country reaching out within hours of the announcement. This time limited investment is available to GDS contract holders on a sessional basis with a national tariff payment of £654 per 3.5 hour session. Please get in touch with your commissioner if you think you could deliver this extra activity.

For those celebrating Chinese New Year, we wish you a happy Year of the Tiger. 

Sara and Ali

Update on vaccination as a condition of deployment

As you know the Government passed legislation requiring vaccination as a condition of deployment which was due to come in from 1 April 2022. However, as announced on Monday to the House of Commons, the Secretary of State has confirmed this is being reconsidered. 

The Government’s decision is subject to Parliamentary process and will require further consultation and a vote to be passed into legislation.

This change in Government policy means we request that employers do not serve notice of termination to employees affected by the VCOD regulations.

Please read the letter that has been sent to all dental contractors on Monday 31 January for more information.

Get your vaccine and boosters!

In December, more than four million people in England tested positive for COVID and would have been unable to get their vaccine for at least 28 days. New NHS data shows there are 6.3 million people who are overdue their booster by six weeks or more. The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows shortly after getting a booster, you are 85% less likely to end up in hospital than if you are unvaccinated.

Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and, of
course, your patients from the virus. Please continue to encourage colleagues to get their life saving COVID-19 vaccine.

If you are due your booster or have not yet had your vaccine, please book your appointment without delay. 

£50m investment in NHS dental services to boost urgent care

As you know, NHS England is investing £50m in the dental service between now and the end of the financial year. This is the first investment in dentistry outside of usual allocations in a decade. In the immediate term, this funding is a credible opportunity to make a significant dent in the backlog that has developed over the pandemic.

We want to reassure practices that we understand this funding does not represent “job done” on reform or a "silver bullet" for the problems in dentistry. It is, however, a step forward for our patients and a recognition of the importance of NHS dentistry, with resources targeted at existing contract holders.

The timeline is tight but not impossible, and we know there is huge shared ambition across the sector to demonstrate that we can maximise the impact of any funding injection, even if short term, to address the backlog of unmet need.

We must work at pace to make a success of this opportunity.

Please get in touch with your commissioner if you think you could deliver this extra activity.

FFP3 supply and usage: message from the Department of Health and Social Care PPE Team 

During the course of the pandemic, the supply and usage of FFP3s has evolved. We now have a highly reliable supply of FFP3 masks, all with proven fit quality. Our analysis of order patterns suggests there may be an over-reliance on one or more mask. To maximise resilience, we are keen to promulgate diversity of use.

Accordingly, NHS dental practices can order an FFP3 sample pack which contains a range of available masks and which is intended to support FFP3 diversification.

The sample packs will be available to order from the PPE ePortal from Tuesday 1st February 2022. 

If you have any issues accessing the ePortal please contact the ePortal customer service number 0800 876 6802, which is open 7am-7pm, 7 days a week.

Reminder: Patients should continue to wear face coverings in dental settings

Reminder of help with dental costs for those receiving Universal Credit 

Guidance for patients on if they are eligible for help with healthcare costs, such as free NHS dental care, is available online.

As a general rule, patients are exempt from patient charge if they receive Universal Credit and either had no earnings or had net earnings of £435 or less in their last Universal Credit assessment period. Patients can also be eligible if they receive Universal Credit which includes an element for a child, or the patient (or their partner) had limited capability for work (LCW) or limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA), and they either had no earnings or net earnings of £935 or less in their last Universal Credit assessment period.

The NHSBSA online checker below is a useful resource for patients to find out if they are eligible for free NHS dental care and practices are asked to encourage patients who are unsure to use this tool:

Patients are recommended to present a copy of their Universal Credit award notice to prove entitlement, this can be either the letter or the patient's online account. There is no legal requirement on the dentist to ascertain the validity of the claim and the legal responsibility to faithfully declare a claim for exempt charges rests with the patient. 

Practices should note that not all help with health costs claim forms have a tick box for Universal Credit. If that's the case, please advise the patient to tick the box for income-based Jobseeker's Allowance instead.

Chief Sustainability Officer’s Clinical Fellow Scheme – applications open

Climate change presents a major threat to our health, which is why the NHS became the world’s first health service to commit to reaching net zero emissions.

The NHS Chief Sustainability Officer’s Clinical Fellow Scheme offers clinicians with a passion for sustainability a unique opportunity to help build a greener NHS and improve health now and for generations to come.

Successful candidates will step out of clinical practice for 12 months to work with NHS senior leaders and teams on key projects that will accelerate progress towards a net zero health service, while strengthening their leadership and management skills

The scheme welcomes applications from allied health professionals, dentists, doctors in training, healthcare scientists, nurses, midwives, and pharmacists from across the UK.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 23 February 2022.

Edward Jenner programme leadership programme

New for 2022, the Edward Jenner programme has been refreshed to equip you with skills to grow in confidence to thrive in your role and support your career path. You will be able to apply your learning immediately to the day-to-day challenges of working and leading in health and care.

This includes developing inclusive leadership practices and culture within your team to support greater team satisfaction and delivery of the best possible care for patients and service users. The Edward Jenner programme is designed to be flexible through online delivery and is free to access for all health and care staff.

Latest news from the NHSBSA and the GDC

NHS Business Services Authority bulletin - January edition

Articles include:

• Patient signatures on dental forms
• Exceptional circumstances arrangements
• FP17O validation rules
• National COVID-19 vaccination status survey
• Quarter 4 reports in Compass
• Health inequalities - recording ethnicity data 
• 2021/22 workforce form submissions
• SFE business rates assurance exercise

Click here to read the bulletin online.

General Dental Council newsletter - January edition

The GDC's latest newsletter includes:

• CPD statements for Annual Renewal completion
• A view from the Chair: regulating the whole dental team
• Racism in dentistry: the scale and nature of the problem
• The ORE: a flawed system made worse by the pandemic with further challenges ahead 

Click here to read the newsletter online. 

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Previous 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. 

COVID-19 advice, guidance and resources

NHS updates to the profession 

Key letters from the Chief Dental Officer and the NHS dentistry and oral health team are online here. 

Transition to Recovery: Dentistry's standard operating procedure

The latest version was published on Thursday 25 November. Changes to the previous SOP are in yellow. You can read the SOP 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.

Dental recall priorities for children: implementation tool

Children are a clinical and contractual priority group for all NHS dental teams. Practices are encouraged to use the NHS implementation tool which assists dental professionals in the recall of children for a dental appointment, in line with NICE guidelines. You can view the tool online.

Avoidance of doubt note: provision of phased treatments

This document is to support dental professionals, and to clarify where it might be appropriate to provide phased treatment spanning over several courses of treatment (CoT). You can read it online here.

Health and wellbeing support