David McColl

📺Older dentists will remember the claims from 2006… 📚Some dentists were at primary school when this contract landed. 📑20 years on and we’re all still living with a system that’s unfit for purpose. ✍️Dentists - co-sign this open letter bda.eaction.net/20yearsofhurt

The war on evidence-based preventive programmes in the US will have a very human cost. The rollback of water fluoridation led by @RobertKennedyJr won't #MakeAmericaHealthyAgain. It's a recipe for widening inequality and worse oral health outcomes. nbcnews.com/health/kids-he…

Promises have come from governments led by 🌹Brown, 🌳Cameron and 🔶Clegg, and now 🌹Starmer. But translating worthy sounding pledges into reform that works for patients and practitioners requires proper funding, and a decisive break from the UDA. Co-sign our open letter👇

The COVID Inquiry has failed to assess the political choices that destroyed access to dental care. Decisions made in Westminster ensured dentistry ceased to exist for millions. Today, choices made at @hmtreasury and @DHSCgovuk continue to stand in the way of a real recovery.

Good to talk to @CMochan about the launch of the @TheBDA Scotland manifesto and why postcode lotteries of care must be addressed to ensure that dentistry in Scotland is future-proofed.

Great to meet with @PaulJSweeney today, following the launch of the @TheBDA Scotland manifesto earlier this week. It was good to discuss the importance of dental workforce planning, which is one of our key asks. You can’t have NHS dentistry without NHS dentists.

Our Scottish Manifesto is making an impact. Our polling shows: ❌65% of Scots say Ministers should be doing more ❌Dentistry is doorstep issue, on a par with crime ❌1/5 of Scotland’s adult population can't access care Send a message to your next MSP bda.eaction.net/yournextmsp

Thank you @CMochan for raising dentistry in @ScotParl today & asking what action the Scottish Government is taking in response to reports relating to dental access @TheBDA bda.org/news-and-opini…

"Our constituent's wellbeing should not come down to postcode lottery." Quite right @CMochan MSP. We aren't setting out a radical agenda. But practical steps whoever forms the next @scotgov need to take to close the oral health gap and meet demand. bda.org/representation…

Hats off to @w8charlotte and BDA Scotland team. Every party north of the border needs to recognise that dentistry is on the ballot paper in the coming election.

Dentistry in Scotland is clearly an issue which voters will be considering as they vote on May 7. Please get involved and tell MSPs the realities of what is happening @TheBDA 👇

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"It seems bizarre that the chancellor's reaction is actually to try and clobber private provision instead of actually bolstering the provision of NHS dentistry," says @EddieCrouch. More from the CMA market study into private care. thetimes.com/article/009aab…

Expanding the dentist workforce will have an impact across the 4 nations & will vary depending on the delivery of NHS dentistry in each. Understanding the true complexity of this shift is key. The rest of the dental system must be able to provide appropriate support too. @TheBDA

A must read for the weekend from @martinwoodrow69 👇

Increasing dentist numbers... 📆Waiting lists ✈️Overseas applicants 🦷The existing workforce. We explore how the Government's latest plans could affect you. bda.org/news-and-opini…

❌Proposed immigration rules mean applicants lack real certainty they can build a future here. ❌There's no new money to commission care for these dentists to deliver. ❌Overseas qualified dentists are no more willing to work in a failed, underfunded system than UK qualified.

“These investments show this government is serious about rebuilding NHS dentistry,” says DH. The gap between rhetoric and reality is clear. There is still no new money to underpin the rebuild. Not even to cover new activity for these overseas qualified dentists to deliver.

This seismic change to the dental workforce feels like a quick fix. It doesn’t matter whether a dentist qualifies in Manchester or Mumbai. We won’t keep talent working within a failed, underfunded NHS system without real change. mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…

The responsibility - or lack thereof - rests with Rachel Reeves and HMT.