Hi All,
I hope you are well and coping under the circumstances. The difficult times continue however and the support role of the LASC LDC Executive has developed to enable us to assist practitioners through the challenges of the Pandemic.
What is the role of the LDC Exec?
The LDC Executive is there to support practitioners and is the representative body which liaises closely with the Lancashire and South Cumbria Local Area Team to act in the best interests of the profession. The Area Team work closely with us and would always collaborate with us to resolve any issues affecting practitioners locally.
Sometimes however issues are on a National level when they are dealt with by the BDA. The BDA communicates closely with all the LDCs across the country and the information flow is in both directions.
How do you best utilise the support of your LDC?
Firstly ensure you flag any issues concerns etc with the Comms Team in the first instance. They will on most occasions handle the enquiry themselves or if necessary they will forward it to the most appropriate member of the LASC LDC Executive.
Who are the LASC LDC Executive?
The LASC LDC Executive consists of representatives from the three LDCs across the patch;
Central Lancs LDC - representing Preston, Chorley, Leyland, Ormskirk and Skelmersdale
East Lancs LDC - representing East Lancs and Blackburn with Darwen
Coastal LDC - representing Fylde Coast, Lancaster, Morecambe, Carnforth and South Cumbria
All enquiries and concerns are dealt with in the strictest confidence and most of the time we are able to either resolve the issue ourselves if not we will refer on to someone that has the answers.
Please do not hesitate to contact us through the Comms Team should you be experiencing any difficulties be they clinical, personal or financial.
The Comms Team will allocate the case to the most appropriate Exec member in order to support a practitioner to a resolution. All members of the Exec are experienced professionals who are skilled in resolving issues experienced by any of our colleagues.
How is LASC LDC Exec. supporting practitioners?
LASC LDC Exec. has been supporting many practitioners with the increased challenges that COVID has brought. The sort of problems however that are the most difficult relate to contractual issues between Practice Principals and Associates. Should the contractual issues be between NHSE and a practice then there is an opportunity for discussion however when the problems are between Practice Principal and associates then there is no framework anyone can bring into play to achieve a resolution.
Should you be in the latter position then please do the following:
Inform the Comms Team of the situation as we log all these problems to feed into discussions at National level through the BDA.
Consult your Defence Organisation for their opinion.
If you are a BDA member contact them to get their support (if you are not a member it is worth considering it because they are a tremendous resource for all kinds of information).
In these circumstances the advice from the LASC LDC Exec is as follows:
The associates involved should in the first instance approach the management themselves.
If there is no response then the LASC LDC Exec. can approach the Practice on behalf of the associates. The initial approach would be a simple enquiry as to the facts of the situation, but please be aware that although this would be done anonymously the identity of the associate may become evident.
Although the LDC Exec. have no direct powers of enforcement it will add weight to the associates position and may be able to influence the action of the practice going forward.
REMEMBER - YOUR LDC EXEC IS THERE FOR YOU 365 DAYS OF THE YEAR!
Just one more thing - I do visit the tip on a weekly basis due to the total inadequacy of our local Council Recycling Service. As I go regularly I have got to know some of the lads down there and find them extremely helpful. What did shock me was the other week when I was waiting to be allocated a skip I read the notice on the gate. Talk about zero tolerance - on the notice it said that if you are abusive or insulting to the staff you could be prosecuted and face six months in prison and a £5K fine! Mind you looking at the lads on the tip you would think twice about being insulting. Oh by the way it is OK to be rude to your dentist!
That's all for now,
Stay safe!
Bernard
Bernard Alston
Sec. Lancashire and South Cumbria LDC Executive