News feed - Practice Plan

All the latest dentistry news, all in one place.

Our dental news feed will be regularly updated to help you stay informed and keep up-to-date with everything that's happening in the industry.

NHS

Prime Minister says NHS will be a ‘better place’ for dental profession

Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims the latest investments will make the NHS a better place for the dental profession. Robert Goodwill MP confronted the PM during a recent Parliamentary debate on the future of NHS…

BDA Stops “Indefensible” Health Board Action

The British Dental Association has helped to stop Local Health Boards in Wales from financially penalising practices who had not hit targets. Swansea Bay University Health Board was attempting to introduce in-year clawback against practices who in the…

HMRC Announcement re Associates’ Tax Status

The employment status of dental associates has been discussed many times in recent years. Up until now, associates had always been covered by HMRC Guidance that stated, “It should be noted that there are standard…

Regulation

Records Have Been Deleted – GDC’s Response To FOI Internal Review Request

The ‘transparency’ of the General Dental Council has once again been called into question after the regulator revealed the results of an internal review into its response to a Freedom of Information Request. The original FOI request…

Contract Reform COVID-19 Finance Mental Health NHS Practice Management Regulation

‘Shocking Court Case’ Raises Fears For Practice Owners

Dental practice principals could in future be considered to be liable for the dental negligence of their associates, following a recent judgement. The BDA News website called the judgment “A shocking court case.” It said it highlights why some indemnity policies will not keep you safe from claims and damages.… Read more

Corporation Tax Increase May Affect Dentists

An analysis of the effects of Rishi Sunak’s recent budget shows dentists may be affected by the increase in Corporation Tax. Charles Linaker, UNW tax partner has released his thoughts on the budget and its effects on dental finances. His firm’s Dental Business Unit is headed by NASDAL technical committee member Alan Suggett. Charles… Read more

Report on resilience of mixed/private practices post-COVID-19 published

A collaborative group of dental bodies have published a report to investigate the validity of the claim “there will be a dearth of dental practices on the high street in 18 months’ time.” Read more

CDO Sara Hurley changes fallow time requirements for practices in England

The chief dental officer for England has amended the fallow time requirements for dental practices. In a new letter to the profession, CDO Sara Hurley has set out the new fallow period times for AGPs. She emphasises that a post-AGP downtime is still required by Public Health England (PHE). This… Read more

BAPD announces new appointments

The British Association of Private Dentistry (BAPD) has announced a new member of its Executive Committee, as well as the appointment of a volunteer Equality Officer. Victoria Holden is the new member of its Executive Committee and Sarah Buxton to the volunteer role of BAPD Equality Officer. Read more

Pandemic delays over 10 million dental appointments

The BDA estimates a 10 million backlog of appointments due to dental practices shutting down during the COVID-19 pandemic. With many not working at full capacity, the BDA says it could take months or even years for dental practices to work through the backlog. Read more

The BDA urges members to be extra vigilant after hacking

The BDA says it's website has been hacked and those responsible are likely to have access to contact details, transaction histories, bank details and correspondence. Since the breach on 30th July, the BDA has urged members to be cautious of any correspondence claiming to be from a bank. Read more

New association launched for independent dentists in Wales

IDA Wales is open to all dental practitioners in Wales who provide any form or quantity of independently funded/private dental treatment. The group aims to provide 'a strong voice for the non-NHS aspects of dental provision' and is already gaining ‘seats at the table’ positions with HIW and the CDO Wales. Read more

Dental practice values rise for sixth quarter in a row, to 159% of gross fees

The value of dental practices has risen for the sixth quarter in a row, NASDAL figures show. Goodwill rose to 159% of gross fees in the quarter up to January, compared to 157% in the previous quarter. The rise mainly comes from a jump in private practice values. Read more

Dentists urge action over missed oral cancer screenings

The BAPD is urging the Government to amend its advice to help practices successfully screen for oral cancer. This follows a survey that showed almost 90% of dentists have problems referring patients suspected of having oral cancer to secondary care. Read more

BAPD urges reconsideration of PPE requirements

The British Association of Private Dentistry (BAPD) has written to PHE to ask them to reconsider its guidance on PPE requirements and fallow time. In an open letter, they said the current guidance ‘is having a detrimental effect on the standards of achievable dental care’. Read more

Welsh dentists speak about their concerns for the future

Following the announcement of phased reopening plans for dentistry in Wales, which will see routine care completely reintroduced in January 2021, dentists have spoken out. Dr Guy Laffan described the situation as a ‘tide of dental disease about to crash’. Read more

Millennials are the biggest spenders on dental treatment

Millennials spend £750 a year on dental treatment, three times the national average, according to a new survey. The Oral Health Foundation also found that 53% of millennials have had cosmetic dental treatment in the UK. The most popular being tooth whitening. Read more

Practices predict seeing less than a quarter of patients

Before reopening on June 8th, 60% of practices predicted they would be able to treat less than 25% of patients compared to normal. The figures are from a BDA survey. The results also showed that 78% feel cash flow problems are impacting their ability to offer face-to-face care. Read more