Good Evening Lancashire Hope you are all managing to cope with what is now extremely hot weather in contrast to the very dull weather we have experienced recently! We can't win can we - it is either too cold/wet or too hot! Moving on to news from the Lancs LDC Exec 1. Local Dental Network (LDN) - we had the first of the formal LDN meetings this week with Eric Rooney as the newly appointed chair... Feedback from this meeting is as follows: the "core" commissioning group ie LDN is now established and there will be links developed further with the specialist groups ie Orthodontic/Special Care/Oral Surgery/Routine Care/Prevention - more on this as it develops. The networks will be charged with achieving a number of National Outcomes (yet to be set) - again more on this as it develops. There is a comprehensive mechanism for feeding back information and innovation from the coalface so we will have the opportunity to send information to “on high” We have stressed the point that any new innovations must be matched to the new contract to enable dentists to deliver these but still be able to deliver on the contract. 2. Heatwave Guidance - we sent out some info urgently re the heat wave as requested by the Lancashire Area Team - please have a read of it. 3. Appraisal process - appraisal will be resurrected shortly so if you were an appraiser across Lancs contact will be made some time soon re confirming commitment etc - more on this soon 4. Future contract / Practice Values - this is a key issue for the LDC Exec in the current reorganisation and we have it raised as an agenda item at all meetings. Everyone is aware that if the profession is to be engaged fully in moving and reshaping the delivery of a quality NHS Dental Service then there needs to be some reassurances given to the practitioners in terms of how their future will look - this is a most important issue for us and we will keep looking for some answers to the questions posed by a number of practitioners. The problem at the moment is that there is no confirmation as to what the future contracts will look like - there may be some more info after the meeting at which Barry Cockcroft will be speaking (31st July) - as usual I will keep you updated. 5. Education – there is an essential need to ensure that educational provision is matched to contract development and the needs of the profession. The appraisal process is the ideal mechanism to join this up and we do have a Deanery presence (Nicholas Taylor) on the LDN. That’s all for now folks – stay cool! Upward and Onwards Bernard Sec Lancs LDC Exec
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Lancashire & South Cumbria
Local Dental Committees
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