DLA Steps Up a Political Gear in 2007
By Richard Daniels
Working with the Conservative Party and Health representatives, the DLA piles on the pressure with its continuing campaign in Whitehall.
In 2006 the DLA’s political representation for its members took a major step forward – 175 MPs supported us by tackling Health Minister Rosie Winterton and the Government about the new dental contract and its severe impact on the dental laboratory industry. And now, just two months into 2007, our activities have already taken the Association’s political influence to a new level.
A Conservative Approach to a Labour Problem
We have recently held some highly productive negotiations with the Conservative Party health team. The result is that the DLA will be hosting a major awareness campaign for MPs within the walls of Westminster this year. Whilst details of the campaign are still in the development stage, our planned outcome will be to raise the political profile of dental laboratories and dental technology to new heights.
The goal is to educate as many MPs as possible, from every part of the political spectrum, about the plight of dental technology and dental laboratories. When the debate reaches the despatch box, there will be no way for the Minister to side-step the big questions regarding the new dental contract because of lack of knowledge from the Opposition. Instead the MPs will have all the facts and figures they need, right at their fingertips.
Widening the Debate
Although the DLA is mainly focused on the new dental contract, we have also been keeping a watchful eye on the equally significant issue of under-funding for dental technology training in the UK. It seems incredible that in one of the West’s richest societies, where healthcare is at the top of most people’s concerns, dentistry has been allowed to fall by the wayside.
This is not a new phenomenon, of course. Since 1952 dental technology training has seen a precipitous decline, from 52 colleges reduced to 9, with a further 2 proposing to close in the next few months. But it still seems incredible that successive governments have failed to grasp the very real need for investment into DCP training in general and dental technology training in particular.
For this reason the DLA will be raising concerns about funding for dental technology education and training with MPs from all sides of the House of Commons. The education of new recruits for the industry is essential if we are to enable British laboratories to remain competitive and continue to raise the bar in terms of high quality custom made dental appliances.
Currently the industry faces a situation where the Government believes that they can’t afford to support dental technology training – but the DLA poses the question ‘Can you truly afford not to?’
Questioning the Questioners
Decisions don’t normally just happen in Parliament, despite the claims of the media! The corridors of Westminster are full of committee rooms where the detail of legislation is mulled over by each of the political parties and by cross- party committees.
The DLA have now negotiated a meeting with the Chairman of the Health Select Committee to discuss the state of the industry today. We anticipate that the result will be a full-blown committee review of the Government’s implementation of the new dental contract, and their under-investment in the future of dental technology education compared to other European countries.
No Quick Fix
Since the introduction of the new dental contract last year, the DLA have raised the concerns of the industry on an almost daily basis – making the Department of Health, political parties and patients aware of the issues we face. We have had more limited success where the national and local press are concerned. It is a harsh realisation, but our contractual concerns and lack of funding for UK dental technology and dental laboratories are unlikely to be a widespread vote loser or make headlines on Sky News. However, we must continue to spread the word about the impact these issues will have on the services available to patients and their health.
Getting this message across to the appropriate authorities is a cost-intensive and time-consuming process for an organisation like the DLA, but we are now having some success. The Department of Health set up the Implementation Review Group to offer recommendations from a number of different perspectives to help improve the dental contract for professionals and patients, and it is our understanding that this group will be meeting throughout the three year pilot of the contract. As a member of the Group, the DLA will be fighting hard to ensure recognition of the problems that exist and lead the search for a solution.
A Breakthrough in our Current Campaign
Ever since the start of the contract, DLA members have kept the DLA constantly informed about the prescription trends of dentists – by completing DLA surveys, sending in copies of monthly accounts, or simply calling the office. All of this information has been used in discussions with the Department of Health, Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities.
However, the Government will only recognise the issues if they have their own statistics on the subject. Therefore the DLA are working with the Department of Health to send out a survey to a sample of commercial dental laboratories that carry out NHS dentistry to officially review the impact of the new contract on dental laboratories and band 3 prescriptions.
This is a huge step forward in our negotiations and one that is fully supported by the DLA Council. Until now it has always been Department of Health policy to monitor only prescription bands 1, 2 and 3, without gathering the all-important information on the types of treatment that take place within each band. Whilst this information alone cannot stop the current perverse incentive to under-prescribe, it will at least officially alert Whitehall to the problems and drive home the message that answers must be found soon – and quickly.
How You Can Help
As a DLA member it is vitally important that you keep up-to-date records of the changes in the prescription patterns of your NHS clients, and it is even more essential to complete and return surveys from the DLA or the Department of Health on this subject. The DLA needs these figures as ammunition: we would be powerless without legitimate statistics regarding the work being carried out since April 2006 and details of where the prescribing patterns have altered.
Ultimately the biggest contribution you can make is to invite your local MP to visit your laboratory and to get them to understand your role within NHS dentistry: the more they understand, the better chance we have of getting a full debate in the House of Commons. If you would like to invite an MP to your laboratory but you are concerned about what to discuss, the DLA Office will be happy to help or even send one of our team along to represent you.
Never underestimate the power of working together!
