IT is a big problem
15th Oct 2005
The most fundamental change to the provision of NHS dental services since the start of the NHS in 1948, will not pass without tears, sweat and toil from all sides.
If the Government wants Big Bang April 2006 to go smoothly, no stone should be left unturned in the task of assisting dentists and their teams at the coal face.
Of course, we want the Department of Health politically to do more for dentists. It could double fees, grant £ billions of modernisation money and we would be happy. But in reality, they just want a new system that will remove queues and treadmills and control costs, amongst other things.
However, some non-political work could be done to help ease the Big Bang. I see no reason why the government cannot assist, fund, support or simply discuss these smaller (to them less important) processes. One such process is dental practice computerisation.
If anyone in government is reading – please carry on, this will not cost a pound or even a euro.
The Government does care about joined-up IT, having sanctioned £ billions to be spent on a new front desk IT system for hospitals. The precedent is set.
Put simply and directly, as a Yorkshire man can, on 1 April 2006, it is essential that dental practice computer systems work for them, delivering the new prices and administration. If action is not taken immediately, the consequences could be costly for PCTs and therefore the Government, and could push dental practices back 25 years in the professionalism of service they offer patients.
I can see it clearly. One day before the big bang, Pat the patient gets a nice invoice professionally printed and details fully incorporated into the patient records – and dento-legally sound. On 1 April, Pat the patient gets a hand-written receipt with a carbon copy for the practice. And that is just for starters! The PCTs cannot get the statistics they need, everyone blames the department and it costs the taxpayer.
This is not a veiled plea from software manufacturers to help them sell more products. This is a genuine altruistic concern: the software people need time to write code and change dental practice management software to manage practices on 1 April 2006.
Department of Health, please help us to help us all, with a proverbial stitch?
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