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Nigel Jones talks to stalwart of the profession, Michael Watson, about the future of the profession and his views on what NHS dentistry should look like. With an almost 60-year career in dentistry, there was a lot to talk about when I sat down to speak with Michael Watson about the profession’s past, present and future.…
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Nigel Jones talks to stalwart of the profession, Michael Watson about dentistry’s defining moments and what he thinks the future will look like, compared to how it should. After a career spanning nearly six decades and roles in the clinical, political and editorial arenas of dentistry, Michael Watson is a well-known figure to many in…
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In the latest Practice Makes Perfect, Nigel Jones discusses the importance of focusing on the positives in dentistry and why he believes the profession is heading into a golden age. In amongst all the doom and gloom surrounding much of dentistry, I was fortunate recently to be on the receiving end of, not so much…
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Nigel Jones considers the current climate in UK dentistry and how he believes demand for private dentistry will outstrip supply for some time to come. The contrast between the morale of, predominantly private dentists, and those working largely with the NHS has never been more stark than it is now. That was my over-riding feeling…
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Nigel Jones talks about suicide prevention and the efforts one man is making to help raise awareness. You may or may not be aware that suicide is the biggest single killer of men under 50. Despite new figures showing a small reduction in the numbers of people taking their lives, in 2020 compared with the…
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Nigel Jones discusses with Simon Gallier, whose career involved practising in the Army Dental Corps and setting up direct access dentistry within Superdrug, why he left the NHS twice and what he thinks the future holds for the service. The career path for the majority of dentists follows a fairly traditional route. This goes from…
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Nigel Jones explores the current problems facing NHS dentistry and the inequalities with access to dental care. In business, writing a problem statement helps to focus attention on what improvements need making. It ensures that everyone involved is on the same page. A clearly defined and well-understood problem is crucial to finding and implementing an…
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Nigel Jones announces the line up at this year’s Dental Business Theatre and encourages you to come along. Once again, Practice Plan will programme the Dental Business Theatre (DBT) at the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on 13 and 14 May. In this short video, Nigel Jones,…
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Nigel Jones shares answers to the dental professional’s big questions about moving to private practice. It’s perhaps a good indicator of the dental profession’s mindset that a recent Practice Plan webinar involving a discussion with a dentist who’s just left the NHS was one of the most popular we’ve ever held. Runeel Joye, who had…
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Nigel Jones draws attention to the importance of purpose and how it can help to shape the future of your dentistry. I recently hosted a webinar on behalf of the BAPD. I had the privilege of interviewing a practice owner. He recently changed his practice from being largely NHS to being wholly private. In the…
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Nigel Jones gives his views on the dental landscape after NHS England waited until the 5 April to give dentists their 2022/23 targets. The wait for the issuing of new targets from NHS England seemed endless. Very few members of the profession failed to notice the irony that by 1 April, the date when the…
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Nigel Jones comments on the Commons debate and expresses the seriousness of dentists leaving the NHS. ‘We all – the BDA, patients, MPs and the Department – know the urgency’. So said Health Minister Maria Caulfield in the Commons debate on 10 February. This covered the issues surrounding NHS dentistry and the need for a…
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Nigel Jones looks at the question of whether providing NHS dentistry in your practice is really worth it. Few would deny that, in recent years, working in NHS dentistry has become harder and harder. And the pandemic has made things even tougher. Working to hit changing activity targets, in layers of uncomfortable PPE whilst adhering…
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Despite the struggle that lays ahead for NHS dentists, the profession must swim against the tide, says Nigel Jones. Big decisions lie ahead for many in the UK’s dental profession. For those wholly or largely working within the NHS, in particular. Across the UK, many are reporting how they are dreading the return to…
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Nigel Jones gives his predictions for dentistry in 2022 and points to the recruitment crisis as the main reason driving change. Workforce issues in dentistry are not a new problem. They are however a worsening one that has been exacerbated by the combination of Brexit and Covid-19. Anyone throwing a cursory glance at the numbers…
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Practice Plan’s Nigel Jones looks at whether the NHS may experience a mass exodus in the next year. The next few months are decisive The loyalty of the dental profession to the NHS is stretched like never before. And dentists committed to the NHS for decades are already leaving and handing back contracts. More are…
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Nigel Jones highlights that by changing your marketing to manage new patients, you can boost the chance of filling your diary. The supply and demand imbalance in respect of dental care, as evidenced by the widespread waiting lists, are obviously creating challenges. Some are big picture issues such as the lack of availability of associates.…
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Nigel Jones caught up with Wesleyan’s Michael Copeland and Wilf Moralee to talk about how to replace your NHS pension when making the move away from the NHS to a private practice. They discuss some of the key things to consider before making the move. Michael could you summarise the NHS pension scheme and explain…
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Nigel Jones suggests the public is more open to a core NHS service following the COVID pandemic than it was before. The season of gifts and resolutions is upon us. This year more than any other, it is tempting to modify the lyrics to ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’. For example, you could change one…
