Shockingly, despite pancreatic cancer being the deadliest common, half of all pancreatic cancer patients are not prescribed the inexpensive tablets they need to stop them starving.
As Chief Exec of Pancreatic Cancer UK, I am deeply concerned that so many patients are missing out on this medication – called Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT) – which is just as vital for people with pancreatic cancer as insulin is for those with diabetes.
The main cause is a lack of awareness among health professionals, who do a wonderful job caring for people, but don’t specialise in the disease or treat pancreatic cancer patients as frequently as those with other more common types of cancer.
PERT enables patients to digest food, helping them to tolerate treatment and to manage debilitating symptoms from the cancer – including pain, diarrhoea and extreme weight loss. A simple prescription could give so many people with incurable pancreatic cancer more – and better quality – time with their loved ones.
We need action across the NHS to raise awareness of PERT tablets and ensure everyone who needs them is prescribed them. Nobody should have to watch someone they love waste away from pancreatic cancer.
Over 26,000 people have already joined our Transform Lives: Prescribe campaign, urging the NHS to implement targets to make sure PERT tablets are prescribed routinely.
Frontline NHS and social care staff can attend work rather than self-isolate with testing mitigations in exceptional circumstances under updated guidance announced this morning.
From today (Monday 19 July), double vaccinated frontline NHS and social care staff in England who have been told to self-isolate will be permitted to attend work in exceptional circumstances and replaced by testing mitigations.
This will include staff who have been contacted as a close contact of a case of COVID-19 by NHS Test and Trace, or advised to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app.
This measure is being introduced to alleviate pressure on NHS and social care services and will be contingent on staff members only working after having a negative PCR test and also taking daily negative lateral flow tests for a minimum of seven days, and up to 10 days or completion of the identified self-isolation period.
This measure is being introduced to alleviate pressure on NHS and social care services and will be contingent on staff members only working after having a negative PCR test and daily negative lateral flow tests.
The government is clear the change applies only to frontline NHS and social care staff where their absence may lead to a significant risk of harm.
The decision to allow NHS and social care staff to attend work after being told to self-isolate should be made on a case-by-case basis, and only after a risk assessment by the organisation’s management.
This must be authorised by the organisation’s local Director of Infection Prevention and Control, the lead professional for health protection, or the Director of Public Health relevant to the organisation.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “As we learn to live with this virus, it’s important that we ensure frontline staff can keep providing the best possible care and support to people up and down the country.
“The government has backed healthcare services at every turn through this global pandemic and these new rules will fortify our collective defences against this awful virus, by allowing fully vaccinated frontline NHS and social care staff to continue to work when needed.”
Careful consideration should be given by local NHS and social care organisations to the risk of onward transmission compared to the risk to delivery of critical services.
Staff who are permitted to attend work will remain under a legal duty to self-isolate as a close contact when not at work, but will be considered to have a ‘reasonable excuse’ under the Self-Isolation regulations to leave self-isolation to attend work where their absence could result in harm. They will continue to receive self-isolation reminders.
UK Health Security Agency Chief Executive, Jenny Harries, said: “With the number of cases continuing to rise, it is imperative that we do everything we can to manage this virus and support our NHS and social care services under the strain of increased demand and sustained pressure.
“We have provided specific guidance to NHS and social care settings for circumstances where there is a significant risk to health or safety resulting from staff absence or a critical service cannot run.
“This measure only applies to double vaccinated staff, who will only be able to attend work after testing negative on PCR and daily lateral flow tests, and following a risk assessment and the supervision of the health service.”
In order to mitigate the increased risk associated with attending work, the following mitigations must be implemented:
The staff member should be fully vaccinated, defined as having received both doses of an MHRA approved vaccination, with 14 days having elapsed since the final dose.
The staff member should undertake a PCR test and should self-isolate until they receive the result. They should only attend work if this result is negative.
They should undertake daily LFD tests prior to starting work each day. Test results should be reported to NHS Test and Trace via the web portal and to their duty manager. Any staff member who has a positive LFD test during this period should not attend work and should arrange a PCR test as soon as possible.
If the staff member develops any COVID symptoms, they should stay at home and immediately arrange a PCR test.
Staff working during this 10-day period should comply with all relevant infection control precautions and PPE should be properly worn throughout the day. Any breaches should be reported immediately to their line manager.
The staff member should not work with clinically extremely vulnerable patients or residents, as determined by the organisation.
Existing guidance will be updated by Public Health England today (Monday 19 July), and shared with NHS trusts and relevant social care organisations across England.
These changes apply in England only. The Scottish Government will announce any changes to exisiting arrangements, if necessary, in due course.
Free seasonal flu vaccine to be made available for over 35 million people this year
Millions more people could benefit from a free flu vaccine this year, as the Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid announces the most comprehensive flu vaccination programme in UK history today
School programme expanded to provide flu vaccine to all secondary school pupils up to Year 11
Expanded programme follows record 19 million seasonal flu jabs administered in winter 2020
From September 2021, providers will offer the flu vaccine to over 35 million people during the upcoming winter season, including all secondary school students up to Year 11 for the first time. This builds on the success of last year’s expanded flu programme, which saw a record number of people get their jab.
Last year, 4 in 5 (80.9%) people aged 65 and over in England received their flu vaccine – exceeding the World Health Organization uptake ambition of 75%.
Working with the NHS, the government is preparing to deliver the expanded flu programme alongside any booster programme for COVID-19 vaccines as part of wider autumn and winter planning, which centres around protecting as many lives as possible.
During the 2021/22 season, which starts in September, the flu jab will be available to:
all children aged two and three on 31 August 2021
all children in primary school and all children in school Years 7 to 11 in secondary school
those aged six months to under 50 years in clinical risk groups
pregnant women
those aged 50 years and over
unpaid carers
close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
frontline health and adult social care staff
Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: Flu can be a serious illness and we want to build a wall of protection by immunising a record number of people.
“With the nation getting closer to normal life, we must learn to live with COVID-19 alongside other viruses and we’re offering the free flu jab to millions more people to help keep them safe this winter.
“The phenomenal scale of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is a clear demonstration of the positive impact vaccination can make and I encourage all those eligible to get their flu jab when called forward.”
The enlarged flu drive will build on last year’s expanded flu programme, where flu vaccinations opened up to 50 to 64-year-olds and year 7 pupils for the first time, with the aim of offering protection to as many eligible people as possible.
For frontline healthcare workers and two and three-year olds, the highest ever recorded levels of flu vaccine uptake were also achieved last year. This year, all frontline health and social care workers will be offered the flu vaccination again to ensure they, and the people they care for, are protected.
Eligible groups are urged to get their free vaccine every year and to protect themselves and the most vulnerable people in society ahead of the winter.
As a result of non-pharmaceutical interventions in place for COVID-19 – such as mask-wearing, physical and social distancing, and restricted international travel – flu levels were lower than expected across the world in 2020/21.
It is possible there will be higher levels of flu this winter, with more of the population susceptible given the low levels last season. The flu vaccine offers the best available protection against the virus and the public can reduce the spread of flu and other winter bugs by regularly washing hands, throwing away used tissues and practising good hygiene.
Alongside this flu drive, the government is preparing for a booster programme of COVID-19 vaccines and the Joint Committee on Vaccination (JCVI) and Immunisation has published interim advice on who would be prioritised for a possible third vaccine from September 2021.
The booster programme – which would be designed to ensure millions of people most vulnerable to COVID-19 continue to have the protection they need ahead of the winter and against new variants – will be informed by the JCVI’s final advice expected later this summer based on the very latest scientific data.
The Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Improvement, and Public Health England have today issued the 2021/22 annual flu letter to providers, setting out plans for this year’s expanded programme. This blueprint will ensure GP practices, pharmacies and school-based providers are mobilised to begin administering flu vaccines from September.
Dr Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England, said: “The flu vaccine is safe, effective and protects millions of people each year from what can be a devastating illness.
“Last winter, flu activity was extremely low, but this is no reason for complacency as it means less people have built up a defence against the virus. Combined with the likelihood that COVID-19 will still be circulating, this makes the coming flu season highly unpredictable.
“We will be preparing for a challenging winter by expanding our world-leading flu vaccination programme to over 35 million people, saving more lives and limiting the impact on the NHS and social care.”
Dr Nikita Kanani, NHS medical director for primary care, said: “NHS staff across England vaccinated record numbers of people against flu last year – a potentially fatal illness – and they continue to pull out all the stops to deliver the biggest and most successful NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme in health history, protecting their patients and communities.
“Getting your free flu vaccine if you are eligible as well as keeping up good habits like regularly washing your hands could help save your life, so please do come forward when you are invited to give you and your loved ones vital protection this winter.”
The childhood flu programme aims to protect children and contain the spread of the virus to babies and vulnerable adults they may be in contact with. The nasal spray vaccine is offered to 2 and 3-year-olds and children in primary school and Year 7 and, for the first time this year, secondary school aged children up to Year 11.
The Scottish Government has released £12 million in additional funding to health boards across Scotland to support non-COVID emergency care.
This immediate action will help put measures in place to reduce waiting times for urgent or emergency treatment, with a focus on boosting staffing levels and available beds.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We are acutely aware that hospitals are facing significant challenges due to a rise in non-Covid attendances and that some health boards are taking necessary measures to protect urgent and emergency care capacity.
“This £12 million will support them to do so. We are working closely with those Health Boards experiencing the greatest challenges to ensure the funding delivers the improvements required.
“Our NHS staff continue to work tirelessly to respond to the pandemic whilst providing vital non-Covid treatment and safe patient care. Any reductions to service will be short term to ensure those of most critical need have immediate medical attention. Urgent treatment, including vital cancer treatment will continue during this challenging period.”
Chief Executive of NHS Lothian Calum Campbell said: “Hospitals across Scotland are dealing with the pandemic, while seeing an increase in non-covid patients arriving at their doors.
“We are grateful to the Scottish Government for working with us to ensure everyone who needs urgent or emergency care is prioritised – such as vital cancer treatment or accident and emergency care for life-threatening conditions.
“This funding will be vital in helping to provide extra staffing and bed capacity to further enhance improvements in unscheduled care and support delivery of the NHS Recovery Plan.
“NHS Lothian will use this funding to increase beds in the community, relieving pressures on acute hospitals, and to support staff in treating patients as quickly as possible.”
The public can do their part to help the NHS by considering options closer to home when they need medical attention.
Advice is available online at NHS Inform, or they can contact their GP practice or visit their local pharmacy who can help and prescribe treatment.
They can also call NHS 24 on 111 if they can’t wait for their GP practice to open, or they think they need emergency treatment which is not life-threatening.
Becoming a doctor takes years of dedication, studying and on-the-wards training. But for this year’s cohort of 293 newly qualified doctors, currently enjoying their virtual graduation events, their final years as students were massively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Some 56 of the students were based at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
Dr Diva Abdullah enjoyed a virtual graduation on Friday with her classmates from the University of Glasgow. It followed a separate ceremony where the newly qualified doctors recently took the Hippocratic oath from a lecture theatre. The 24-year-old from Brunei has been in Scotland for 3 years and working at hospitals across the country as part of her training.
“When the pandemic hit we were still 4th year students and all of a sudden we had to cancel our placements and there was a lot of uncertainty for everyone. We were out of the hospital for four-and-a-half months and into online learning.”
When the students were allowed back in clinical settings, they worked hard to catch up on the more practical elements of their studies.
Diva was posted to Glasgow Royal Infirmary’s Emergency Department, just as the second wave of COVID took hold.
She added: “We saw a lot of COVID patients coming in. I was in the department one day and there were about eight acute patients there presenting with shortness of breath, and that was quite a lot. However, I felt incredibly supported by the team and we worked hard to help people.”
One of the hardest things for Diva arriving in Glasgow was trying to understand the accent. “I was in a GP’s practice and I volunteered to take notes and I had no idea what was going on – but it quickly got better,” she added.
Diva is now moving to Aberdeen to do her foundation year as a newly qualified doctor. Eventually, she hopes to specialise in paediatrics, working in a children’s hospital. “I just want to help people, I like being able to make a difference to someone’s life,” she said.
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Hospital Sub Dean at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Miss Jane Madeley, said: They were part way through their penultimate year of training when COVID-19 impacted training.
“In comparison to last year’s graduates, who had completed enough of the course by March 2020 to be able to move forward and graduate, this year’s final year students were midway thought the clinical stage of training which consists of different placements in the hospital and GP setting where they learn the principles of medicine and surgery as well as other specialties.
“They were initially withdrawn from the hospitals in March 2020 and teaching moved on-line, whilst planning for them to be able to return was undertaken.
“This must have been a very difficult period, with the stress of uncertainty, isolation from peers that the lock-down enforced, and some returning overseas, with others remaining in Glasgow but unable to see family and friends.”
Jane thanked the staff at GRI for their support for the student and added: “We are extremely proud of all they have achieved and wish them every success in the future.
“We are sure a group able to flourish during this testing period will achieve amazing things moving forwards and we look forward to welcoming them as colleagues.”
Diva has enjoyed being a part of the NHS throughout a year like no other. She concluded: “Teamwork is what makes the NHS work, it feels like a small family where everyone is looking out for each other and their patients. That’s what is so important.”
Census by RCEM Scotland shows a shortage of key senior decision-making clinicians and a workforce below adequate staffing levels
A census of the Emergency Medicine workforce in Scotland by the Royal College of Emergency has found shortages of key senior decision-makers, and a workforce that is below adequate staffing levels to deliver the best and most effective care to patients.
When asked for immediate staffing needs, Emergency Departments across Scotland reported they needed an increase of:
25% in consultants
45% in Advanced Clinical Practitioners/Advanced Nursing Practitioners/Physician Associates
16% in Emergency Nurse Practitioners
22% in Higher Specialist Trainees/Non-consultant Senior Decision-Makers
21% in Junior Doctors
RCEM analysis shows that to resolve the shortages of senior decision-makers and to achieve adequate staffing and aspirational staffing levels by 2026 the current workforce in Scotland needs a total of 405 more health care staff broken down as:
113 more consultants
74 more Higher Specialist Trainees/Non-consultant Senior Decision-Makers
38 more Advanced Clinical Practitioners/Advanced Nursing Practitioners/Physician Associates
180 more Junior Doctors
RCEM’s Scotland workforce census consisted of a 64-question survey and was sent to Emergency Department Clinical Leads across Scotland.
Responses were received from 24 Emergency Departments, including all 20 consultant-led Emergency Departments, one Minor Injury Unit, and three Remote and Rural Hospitals.
Commenting on RCEM’s Scotland workforce census, Dr John Thomson, Vice President (Scotland) of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “The census clearly shows that the Emergency Medicine workforce in Scotland is not adequately staffed to deliver the highest quality patient care.
“This has led to an increase in intense pressures on the existing workforce and is very likely to be a contributing factor to the continued deterioration in performance.
“We have always been proud of Scotland’s performance in Emergency Medicine, ensuring quick and effective care that outperformed the rest of the United Kingdom. But, even before the pandemic, the increase in demand put severe pressure on staff, and departments began to struggle to meet the four-hour access standard, but more seriously began to struggle to deliver appropriate treatment to patients, resulting in more delays and longer stays.
“The pandemic certainly exacerbated these issues and now there are some major challenges that face Emergency Medicine in Scotland. Emergency Medicine can be relentless; a service delivered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will always take its toll, and the pandemic has highlighted the severe burnout that Emergency Medicine staff, especially face.
“Departments must be staffed with a workforce trained and qualified in Emergency Medicine. Shortages in senior decision-making staff groups can lead to Emergency Departments over-depending on junior staff. The census shows that we need considerable expansion of funded consultant and senior decision-maker posts in order to prioritise patient safety and quality of care.
“We managed to survive the first two waves of pandemic with an insufficient workforce, but now these existing staff are facing burnout and exhaustion – with some clinicians reporting they are planning on retiring early. This census clearly shows that we must act and address these problems without delay.
“The Scottish Government must work with the specialty to devise an adequate workforce plan for the emergency care system, taking into account population needs and rising demand on the service. Plans must ensure sustainable and fulfilling careers for all staff, allowing for the delivery of quick, safe, and effective care for patients.
“Without a sufficient workforce plan that addresses the findings of the census, it is likely that there will be continued deterioration in Emergency Department performance and rates of burnout will continue to increase amongst Emergency Medicine staff.”
An additional £380 million is being allocated to Health Boards to help with costs arising from the pandemic.
This comes on top of the £1.7 billion already provided to Health Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships last year. Further financial support will be made available as necessary over the course of this year.
This additional funding includes ongoing support for the vaccination programme, the Test and Protect system, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for health and care workers.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Although we are hopefully emerging from this pandemic, coronavirus continues to add significant pressures to our health and care services.
“We will continue to assess the impact of COVID-19 and provide Health and Care services with the support they require. The remobilisation of the NHS is among our top priorities. We will publish a national recovery plan within the first 100 days of this government.
“The £380 million includes £90.3 million for Test and Protect, a further £76.8 million for the COVID and extended flu vaccination programmes, and £85.5 million allocated to National Services Scotland for PPE costs. The rest of the funding will cover costs including additional staffing to support hospital scale-up, equipment, maintenance and IT.”
The 2021-22 Scottish Budget takes total health portfolio funding in excess of £16 billion – an increase of over £800 million (5.3%) – with a further £1.08 billion of funding to address pressures related to COVID-19.
16,000 additional beds may be needed for the NHS to cope this winter
The NHS urgently needs a rapid increase in bed numbers if it is to meet potential demand this winter according to new analysis from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
The College’s new briefing document ‘RCEM Explains: Hospital Beds’ looks at how bed numbers have declined in the past decade, the impact of covid, and the potential number of beds needed this winter, based on previous levels of demand.
The briefing uses the ratio of emergency admissions to beds to model the numbers of beds that will likely be needed, based on the levels of demand seen each winter prior to the pandemic.
In the last five years in England this figure has fluctuated between 11.07 admissions per bed (winter 2015/16) and 12.50 (winter 2018/19). Excluding the most recent winters (both of which saw demand and capacity fall due to the pandemic), there was an average of 11.77 admissions per bed.
If the NHS is to achieve a similar ratio this winter, and there are a similar number of admissions as in the winter of 2017/18, the NHS will need just over 7,500 additional beds. If demand is similar to 2018/19, then this figure rises to 15,788 extra beds.
President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Katherine Henderson said: “We are currently seeing record levels of attendances at Emergency Departments and if this continues into winter – an extremely likely situation – the NHS will have too few beds to be able to cope.
“The consequences of having too few beds could be dire. If we do not have the capacity to admit patients into hospitals, then A&E waiting times will go up, patients will end up being treated in corridors – a very real threat to their safety before the pandemic, but now with the added risk of hospital acquired infection – and the elective backlog will grow further as beds earmarked for surgeries will be used for emergency patients.”
The briefing also makes clear the relationship between high bed occupancy and an increased rate of cancelled elective operations.
Dr Henderson said: “Too few beds means higher rates of occupancy, which in itself puts patient safety at risk, but it is clear that this has a huge knock-on effect on elective care. Lack of beds is one of the top reasons for cancellation of surgeries and if we do not address the shortage now, before winter, the elective recovery will fail.
“We know that access to services is an issue throughout the NHS at the moment with resources short all-round, but Emergency Departments act as the safety net for the NHS – if they cannot function properly the entire system stalls – so it is vital that the new Secretary of State does all he can to enable the NHS to expand hospital capacity.
“The safe restoration of bed capacity to pre-pandemic levels is no easy fix though – as we’ve seen with the Nightingale initiative, capacity cannot be expanded if we do not have enough doctors, nurses, and clinicians.
“The capacity and staffing issues we face now have been over a decade in the making. Social care is still unfixed. Waiting lists are growing. Structural reconfiguration is in progress. Covid is less of an immediate threat but is unlikely to disappear. The Secretary of State has much to do, but he must start by making the beds.”
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is launching a public appealto support the mental health and wellbeing of A&E staff after data show that many have struggled with burnout, distress, and other psychological conditions resulting from the stress of the pandemic, further to the continued pressures of their day-to-day work in Emergency Departments.
The NHS entered the pandemic underfunded, under-resourced and understaffed. This meant the severe demands of the ensuing pandemic were faced by the existing but understaffed workforce.
The shortage of health care workers has meant these existing staff have been continually pushed to their limits and beyond. And throughout the pandemic these health care workers have been physically, mentally, and emotionally challenged. Staff have been working with little or no respite in challenging conditions while facing ever increasing pressures.
The Health and Social Care Committee report “Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care” cites data from NHS Providers that show 92% of trusts raised “concerns about staff wellbeing, stress and burnout following the pandemic”.
A study published in January 2021 found that nearly half of frontline doctors, including those working in Emergency Medicine, suffered psychological distress during the first wave of the pandemic with others suffering from trauma, PTSD and other psychological conditions.
A study from 2019 found that working as an emergency physician is one of the most fatiguing and stress-inducing professions, a result of regularly working shifts longer than 12-hours, struggling to find work-life balance, and burnout. This was recorded prior to the pandemic, during which the pressures on Emergency Medicine staff significantly increased.
Dr John Heyworth, Consultant in Emergency Medicine in Southampton and Chair of RCEM Fundraising, said: “We know that many Emergency Medicine staff are exhausted and facing burnout.
“After 15 months of this pandemic, with waves of Covid causing intense pressures on our overstretched emergency departments, and now a return to high pre-pandemic levels of hospital activity, added to the stress of the threat of a further wave of covid – this is not surprising. But it is deeply worrying.
“We must do all we can to protect and support our frontline Emergency Department staff. Their hard work and dedication throughout this extremely challenging time has been incredible. As ever, they have been on the frontline throughout the pandemic risking their personal health and dedicating themselves to the care of others.
“The public have shown their remarkable support and respect for the health service. And now, we want to appeal to them to support our A&E staff who work 24/7 in Emergency Departments, ready to treat anyone who seeks care.
“When we know that our Emergency Medicine workforce is struggling with exhaustion, burnout, stress and other psychological conditions then we must take action, and they deserve our support.
“RCEM’s Public Mental Health and Wellbeing Appeal aims to raise money to develop and expand the support services offered to A&E staff who may be struggling with mental health conditions including PTSD, stress, burnout and exhaustion.
“The support offered will be guided and dictated by what A&E staff need most so that we can help them in the best way possible.
“RCEM’s goal is to ensure the services and support provided have a positive and lasting impact on the mental health and wellbeing of our frontline A&E workers.”
This last year has been horrendous for so many, but especially for front line healthcare staff.
The @RCollEM is working to make things better and they need your help.
£5 million to help meet safety standards and see more patients
Additional funding of up to £5 million is available to NHS dentists to help remobilise services as Scotland recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
This new funding will help NHS dental practices to purchase, renew or upgrade ventilation equipment as improved ventilation in surgeries can substantially reduce the time between seeing patients, and offer dental teams the opportunity to see more patients safely.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The remobilisation of the NHS is one of our number one priorities and the Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that NHS dental services emerge from this pandemic well-placed to care for the oral health of the population.
“This new funding is an important step in ensuring the continued remobilisation of NHS dental services and to ensure more patients can be seen safely. We will also continue to fund free PPE for the dental sector and, from July, we will increase it by up to 50 per cent.
“We are continuing to work with the sector to provide much-needed support to fully remobilise dental services.”
Funding will be available throughout this financial year, and will be distributed by NHS boards to those practices meeting the scheme’s conditions. Claims can be made for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2022. Further details of the scheme and how to apply will be provided to the dental sector by separate circular issued by the office of the Chief Dental Officer.
The British Dental Association Scotland has welcomed confirmation the Scottish Government will allocate £5 million to help practices invest in ventilation equipment to increase patient volumes while meeting COVID restrictions.
The BDA first made the bid for financial support to improve ventilation to the Scottish Government in November. England is now the only UK nation not to have committed any capital funding for ventilation to help restore services.
Chief Dental Officer Tom Ferris has confirmed funds can be used to purchase, renew or upgrade ventilation systems, and practices can claim retrospectively for the period 1 April 2020 – 31 March 2022.
The BDA is awaiting details of the conditions applied to the scheme, but has expressed concern that it may not cover those practices who have already installed portable units or air cleaners (such as HEPA filters) when they were unable to improve ventilation by other means in the short term, following guidance from the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP).
Many in this position are based in sites unsuitable for major works, such as premises owned by health boards, in densely packed city centres with adjoining residential and commercial units, or in listed properties.
To meet strict guidelines on COVID transmission, dentists have had to leave surgeries fallow between most common procedures. Investment in ventilation ensures practices can reduce these gaps and increase patient throughput.
Restrictions have left practices operating at a fraction of their former capacity. Data from Public Health Scotland has shown a dramatic reduction in NHS dentistry delivered, which has hit those in most deprived communities the hardest. Between April and November 2020, the number of courses of treatment delivered was 83% lower than during the same period in 2019.
This week Scotland’s CDO joined colleagues from the other three UK nations to commit to reviewing current restrictions. [1] While the review may reduce the need for a fallow time longer-term, the BDA has stressed this investment is required to ‘future proof’ services in the advent of any future pandemic, to secure an immediate boost in access, and will prove cost-neutral through increased patient charge revenues.
David McColl, chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said:“This is a no-brainer from the Scottish Government. Investment in ventilation can future proof Scotland’s dental services, boost patient numbers, and pay for itself.
“We must avoid half measures. Many dentists have had no option but to buy portable systems to get patients back through their doors. Ministers must ensure they do not lose out.
“For our patients’ sake, this needs to mark a turning point when it comes to providing ongoing support to practices. Access to services has fallen off a cliff. A signature policy on free dentistry for all will be a promise that can’t be kept unless we see real commitment from ministers.”
