Hello Lancashire and South Cumbria As the leaves fall from the trees and the temperatures start to drop we think about where we are up to with NHS developments after the summer hiatus... Up and coming soon will be the merger of Lancashire and South Cumbria Area Team with Cheshire Merseyside Area Team, to form a yet even bigger organisation! As the LDC Executive we have sought reassurance that it will still be business as usual at the sharp end of dental practice, as we always fear the potential difficulties in dealing with an even larger organisation than we already have. We do meet regularly with both our Dental Commissioners (Nick and Max) plus the Head of Primary Care (Jackie Forshaw) to discuss where we are up to and to seek the reassurance that we will still be able to get particularly the day to day stuff done. It is always the ground level practice management stuff which takes a hit with any restructure, so we do need to make sure these issues continue to be dealt with swiftly to enable our practices to run their businesses and ensure the continuity of patient care. Thus far we have those reassurances, but the concern is that central decisions will be taken without the appropriate consultation with the profession so watch this space! We did talk a fair bit in the last newsletter about the up and coming Primary Care Network developments and this is gradually gaining traction. Because these new developments are driven by our GPs progress will be primarily down to them, however we are managing to get dentistry up there in the spotlight to ensure we do not get forgotten about. Opportunities will arise out of this for practices to become involved should they wish. More information will be forthcoming but if you have any queries on the subject please do not hesitate to drop me an email. Onwards and upwards!
Bernard Bernard ALSTON Secretary LASC LDC Exec