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Practice Plan director, Nigel Jones, offers his take on potential solutions to the workforce problem. Patient access has been an issue that has worsened post-COVID. Despite having around 45,000 dentists on the register, part-time working and dentists choosing to offer longer appointments by moving to private dentistry are fuelling a shortage of dentists. In search of a quick fix, adding overseas…
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Nigel Jones offers his views on the recent announcement of 50 new dental school places to be divided between the Universities of East Anglia and Portsmouth and whether they will solve the workforce issue in UK dentistry. Despite having more than 40,000 on the register, we do not have enough dentists in the UK. This…
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Nigel Jones contrasts decades of stagnant NHS contract debates with the tech-driven growth mindset thriving across private dentistry. It’s such a strange uncertain world at the moment, which presents a challenge to someone who has responsibility for shaping Practice Plan’s strategy for the next five years. In fact, the chances are that since I started…
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As ‘King of the North’ Andy Burnham is sworn in as leader of the Labour Party and our next Prime Minister, what are the prospects for NHS dental contract reform during his tenure? Nigel Jones shares his thoughts. The short answer to whether we will see meaningful reform is possibly, but probably not immediately or…
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Nigel Jones considers why a more trusted, collaborative GDC could shape not only regulation, but the future of the UK’s dental workforce. The language surrounding the launch last November of the GDC’s strategy to become viewed as a ‘trusted and effective’ regulator was encouraging, even if, for many years, the profession will have heard similar…
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Nigel Jones questions whether the chaotic rollout of new NHS contracts is a case of poor planning or a complete lack of empathy for exhausted clinicians. Was it simply inadequate planning? Maybe it was a lack of empathy with those inhabiting the exhausting hectic world of clinical dentistry who have little time, energy or inclination…
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Nigel Jones judges how much trust the public has in the dental profession – patients might have faith in their own dentist, but how do they feel about the entire sector? The media coverage of both the launch of the CMA inquiry into private dentistry and NHS money being handed back has prompted concern about…
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Nigel Jones, Chris Groombridge and Simon Thackeray discuss the confusion surrounding the unscheduled care element of the updated NHS dental contract in England. On a recent Practice Plan webinar hosted by director Nigel Jones, dental practice owners Chris Groombridge and Simon Thackeray were inundated with questions about the unscheduled care element of the new NHS…
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During a recent Practice Plan webinar, director Nigel Jones hosted a discussion with dental practice owners, Chris Groombridge and Simon Thackeray, about the reform of the NHS contract in England. Inevitably, the conversation turned to the workforce issue. Here are some of their thoughts. Nigel Jones (NJ): Something I’m struggling with, although this is a…
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Nigel Jones explains how revisiting the basics of the patient journey can help dental practices cope with rising costs. Many of the practice owners I talk to are struggling with the squeeze on profitability caused primarily by the rising costs of running a practice. For some, this is already prompting worries around the value of…
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Nigel Jones chats with Simon Thackeray about the chancellor’s request for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate private dentistry. In the most recent episode of Practice Plan’s In the Loupe podcast series, Nigel Jones, strategy director at Practice Plan, chats with Simon Thackeray, practice owner and president of the British Association of Private…
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Nigel Jones tackles the everlasting question of workforce planning in light of recent developments in the dental sector. From budgets to potential CMA inquiries and from GDC strategies to consumer media appearances, it’s clear we still need to talk seriously about workforce issues in UK dentistry. There has been a lot of talk for many…
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Nigel Jones considers why private dentistry is growing in appeal following the release of recent practice valuation reports. There have been a couple of practice valuation reports recently highlighting the growing appeal of private dental practices. Given the economic context in which the country currently finds itself, some have expressed surprise that this is the…
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Nigel Jones explains why NHS dentistry is increasingly looking like unsolvable Rubik’s Cube. So, a fundamentally reformed contract for NHS dentists in England has been promised by the end of this parliamentary term and negotiations should begin this autumn. I say ‘begin’ but given deliberations about contractual arrangements have been going on since 2008, perhaps…
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Nigel Jones shares his thoughts on the recently released NHS 10-Year Health Plan and its implications for NHS dentistry. Given the scale of the challenges across the whole of the NHS, it’s no surprise that dentistry warrants relatively little attention in the plan. Indeed, despite its prominence as an election issue, the lack of mention of…
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Nigel Jones responds to the news that the government will calculate the true cost of delivering NHS dentistry. The decision of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to conduct a survey and research project on the cost of running dental practices seems long overdue given the arguments that have raged in recent years…
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As dentists in Wales are asked for their views on a new NHS dental contract, Nigel Jones speaks to BDA Wales’ Lauren Harrhy to get her views. Nigel Jones (NJ): As someone who was on the negotiation team in the tripartite negotiations with the Welsh Government and the NHS in Wales to try to develop…
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What does the practice sales market look like right now? Practice Plan director Nigel Jones spoke to Paul Graham, managing director of Christie & Co’s medical team, to find out more. Nigel Jones (NJ): I have to admit, Paul, one of my go-to publications and sources of market information is Christie & Co’s Dental Market…
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Nigel Jones discusses the mental health of the dental profession and how it can be improved with a focus on community and connection. It is undeniable that the mental health of too many people within the dental profession is poor. The Dental Protection survey of 1,300 dental professionals published earlier this year came out with…
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