Meeting 12th February 2025
THE HUNTINGDON MARRIOTT HOTEL
WESTMINSTER ROOM
WEDNESDAY 12th FEBRUARY 2025
7.30 START
MINUTES
1. Attendees:
Patrik Zachrisson LDC Chairman & Treasurer
Mariana De Villiers LDC Administrator
Amiras Chokshi LDC Secretary
Marlise De Vos
Prashant Patel
Jessica Wyatt
Curt McKenzie
Bharpur Sanghera
Ricky Worraker
Peter Mullins
2. Guest:
Hamza Zaman
Zelda Wiese
Esther Hagan-Brown
3. Apologies:
Julia Hallam-Seagrave
Abigail Bridson
Francis Scriven
Claire Jackman
Kaushal Patel
4. Annual Chairman’s/Treasurer’s Report: Patrik Zachrisson
This report provides an overview of the activities, financial status, and contributions of the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Local Dental Committee (LDC) over the past year. Our commitment to supporting local dental professionals and enhancing dental services in our region remains steadfast.
Financial Overview
In the current year, funds have been collected at a rate of £10 per performer per month. Since 2020, dental services income has been allocated to each LDC individually, allowing us to manage our finances more effectively. The reserves built up over time provide financial stability and security for the LDC, ensuring that we can continue to support our members and initiatives without compromising our financial health.
Despite the additional contributions made to various initiatives, our reserves have remained stable. This is a testament to our prudent financial management and commitment to maintaining a secure financial base while actively supporting our members.
Contributions and Initiatives
The LDC has made significant contributions to the dental community, including:
- Benevolent Fund: We have actively contributed to the Benevolent Fund, which provides essential support to dental professionals in need.
- Sponsorship of BDA Events: Our sponsorship of multiple British Dental Association (BDA) events has facilitated professional development and networking opportunities for local dentists.
- Reimbursement Scheme: We have implemented a reimbursement scheme for local practices covering:
- Nurses’ training
- Hepatitis B vaccinations
- Needlestick injuries
- Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks
These initiatives are designed to enhance the professional development and safety of dental practitioners in our area.
Representation and Support
The LDC was established in 1948 and became a statutory body under the 1977 NHS Act, which mandates that Area Teams (ATs) consult with the LDC on matters of local dental interest. We represent any dentist in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area who holds an NHS list number with the AT, as well as PDS practitioners, assistants, and deputies who wish to be represented by the LDC.
Our members are dedicated to representing the interests of dentists in our region. We provide advice and support to help address any challenges that may arise in their professional lives. Our commitment to being a source of representation, pastoral support, and guidance is unwavering.
We are very happy to welcome several new members to the LDC and find it very positive that we have a growing support from our local dentists.
The LDC plays a crucial role in the development of dental services for the population of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Our responsibilities include:
- Engaging in contract discussions with local NHS England
- Providing updates on the tendering process
- Sharing dental training updates
- Sending representation to the annual LDC Conference
- Arranging seminars and conferences for local dental professionals
By attending national meetings, we strive to ensure that our views are represented at all levels of healthcare planning.
Support for Continuous Professional Development
The LDC is committed to supporting Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for our members. We facilitate access to Practitioner Advice and Support (PASS) and continue to contribute to the Benevolent Fund, ensuring that our members have the resources they need to thrive in their professional lives.
In conclusion, the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Local Dental Committee remains dedicated to supporting our members and enhancing dental services in our region. We are proud of our contributions and the stability of our reserves, which allow us to continue our important work. We look forward to another year of collaboration, support, and development within our dental community.
Thank you for your continued support of the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Local Dental Committee
5. Secretary’s Report: Amiras Chokshi
Amiras has been re-elected to represent the LDC at the General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC).
Shiv Pabary was elected the new chair of the General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC) on Friday 7 February and has taken over from Shawn Charlwood. Shiv qualified in 1985 from Newcastle Dental School. He is a GDP and has been a provider and owner of several NHS practices in the North-East. He has been the GDPC representative for Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland since 1996.
The new GDPC team includes Vice-Chairs Joe Hendron and Vijay Sudra, and the Executive Committee is made up of Charlie Daniels, Mark Green, Don McGrath and Agi Tarnowski.
The GDPC is the official representative group, tasked with negotiating with Government and other stakeholders on behalf of dentists working in general practice. It is the only official representative body recognised by the Government in negotiations and consultations
Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body (DDRB)
NHS contracts to receive an annual (2024 – 2025) uplift of 4.64% of contract value for 2024-25. This will be backdated to 1 April 2024, and is expected it to be paid in March. In Wales, the uplift was 6 per cent with caveats on quality improvement. Scotland and Northern Ireland received uplifts valued at 6 per cent and 4.85 per cent respectively. It was suggested that interest should be paid on this late payment but the argument was that interest should then also be added to clawback.
Uplift for 2025 – 2026 has not been communicated yet. There will be an increased financial burden on all practices, as a direct result of increase in National Insurance Contributions. Hopefully the uplift will reflect that.
NHS dental access
The Mirror reported:
“More than 12 million people were unable to access NHS dental care last year – more than 1 in 4 adults in England. At the same time 90% of dental practices are no longer accepting new NHS adult patients.”
The contract for dental services has been blamed for a number of problems in dentistry, including an exodus of NHS dentists and so-called dental deserts, where patients struggle to find NHS care close to where they live.
The new government (Labour) pledged during the General Election campaign to create an additional 700,000 emergency dental appointments each year to tackle ‘dental deserts’. It is not clear whether these additional appointments will be offered outside of normal working hours as this will be a national event.
New contract
New contract reform is currently not moving away from the UDA system.
IQVIA
Following the investigation by management consultancy company IQVIA, on how to improve the NHS Dentistry service through a cost finding exercise, indicated that NHS treatment is highly subsidised by private work and that at least 30% uplift in UDA value would be required to break even. IQVIA is working with the ICB to pilot with a few practices and potentially increase the UDA value linked to practice performance. It is reported that in order to receive 30% increase the practice must reach 100% activity. The aim is to start in April.
It is worth mentioning that the data used by IQVIA were based on 2022/2023 figures.
6. Curt McKenzie – Special Care Dentistry
Demand for special care dentistry is high in all disciplines including ortho referrals, extractions and sedations. The volume of referrals is also very high. There is high demand for treatment and an increase in the complexity of treatment required. It appears that there is an increase in teenagers and young adults with mental health problems which is reflected in their need for special care dentistry.
It is noted that the waiting lists for General Anaesthetic is now down to 2 weeks. The rate of Failed to Attend (FTA) appointments is low. Staff send out lots of reminders to patients. FTA’s is mostly due to issues with transport.
The Dental Access Centre in Peterborough has made 1 appointment per day available for a homeless patient. This initiative is working well.
Patients in care homes increasingly would like to be seen at the care home for their dental appointments. This is not always possible.
7. Other Business
Speaker Event Analysis:
The LDC hosted a 2 hour verifiable CPD event on Wednesday evening 22nd of January 2025 on “The Future of NHS Dentistry”. The speaker for this evening was EDDIE CROUCH, CHAIR OF THE BDA. The event analysis has shown that the event was well received and that further LDC events would be welcomed.
The LDC has agreed to further support dental practices in funding First Aid and CPR training.
Hepatitis B Vaccinations:
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) requires evidence of immunisation against the Hepatitis B virus including the level of response (titre levels). For staff who have not responded to the vaccine, or where evidence of immunity is unavailable, there must be a risk assessment.
Hospitals appear to be reluctant to test Hep B levels. Hepatitis B test kits are available. Adequate protection (>100mlU/ml) needs to be confirmed.
The LDC ANNUAL CONFRENCE will be held at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 June 2025 with the Conference dinner on Thursday evening.
8. Next Meeting
Wednesday 14th May 2025
