A Medical Device Daily

Of all the healthcare procedures offered in the UK, dental care has been the most criticized. And reforms to dentistry put in place by the National Health Service in April have failed to improve patient access, according to a survey of dentists by the British Dental Association (BDA; London). In the survey, 55% of respondents said that the new contractual arrangements did not allow them to see more patients. Another 23% said they were seeing about the same number.

And those surveyed were not optimistic that they’d be able to see more patients in the future. Sixty-two percent said they didn’t expect to be able to see more patients in the future; 20% were unsure about how many patients they’d be able to see.

Titled the “BDA Omnibus Survey,” the survey also reported concerns about problems with the substantial number of contracts signed in dispute. Almost half of respondents said they had signed their contract in dispute. Of those contracts signed in dispute, more than half were yet to be resolved. Nine of the 47% who reported their dispute had been resolved were unhappy with how that resolution had been achieved and said they might leave the NHS as a result.

The survey also found that practitioners had reduced the amount of NHS work they did as a result of the new contract and that further decreases in the amount of NHS work were also likely in the future.

About 32% of respondents performed 95% or more of their work on the NHS prior to the implementation of the new contract. That figure had reduced to 25% in the months after implementation. And only 15% believed they’d be carrying out that much NHS work by the middle of 2007; only 9% thought they would be by mid-2009.

Lester Ellman, chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, said that the figures “paint a grim picture for the future of NHS dentistry... . The survey reflects anxiety and frustration among the dental profession and highlights the need for an urgent and thorough review of the impact that the government’s reforms have had.”

The BDA Omnibus Survey was carried out in July 2006, distributed to 1,500 practitioners and receiving replies from 649.

FEI imaging center opened

The University of Ulster earlier this month opened the FEI Centre for Advanced Imaging in Northern Ireland for the purpose of providing a suite of electron microscopes made by FEI (Hillsboro, Oregon) for research within the university’s Biomedical Sciences Research Institute .

It also will support academic research from other faculties within the university and beyond, including industrial R&D for the university’s industrial partners within the region.

The center is equipped with a suite of FEI tools including a Quanta ESEM (environmental scanning electron microscope), a Tecnai cryo TEM (transmission electron microscope), and a Nova NanoLab, the world’s first DualBeam (scanning electron microscope/focused ion beam) system to provide cryo applications. Advances incorporated in the Nova NanoLab were developed through collaboration between FEI and Dr. George McKerr of the university.

The center is funded in part by a 1.3 million pounds investment by the Department for Employment & Learning and the Office of Science & Innovation through the UK Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF).

Leading applications at the center will focus on addressing potential hazards related to nano-enabled technologies. According to Professor Vyvyan Howard, head of the university’s Bioimaging Research Group.

“We intend to be recognized as one of the world centers of excellence for investigating nanoparticle toxicology,” commented Professor Howard. “There will be a lot more work to do in the coming years because every single product that is developed containing free nanoparticles will have to undergo a toxicological safety assessment. With funding procured within the last few months the new Centre will have five highly qualified research scientists working full time in this area.”

FEI is a global leader in providing innovative instruments for nanoscale imaging, analysis and prototyping. FEI focuses on delivering solutions that provide groundbreaking results and accelerate research, development and manufacturing cycles for its customers in Semiconductor and Data Storage, Academic and Industrial R&D, and Life Sciences markets. With R&D centers in North America, Europe, and India, and sales and service operations in more than 50 countries around the world, FEI’s Tools for Nanotech(TM) are bringing the nanoscale within the grasp of leading researchers and manufacturers. More information can be found online at: www.fei.com.

AURE seeks improved patient safety focus

The Alliance of UK Health Regulators on Europe (AURE), together with representatives of health regulators from across Europe, has called for the European Commission to make patient safety a top priority in any new EU initiatives on patient and professional mobility. Healthcare regulators from 16 EU Member States gathered in Helsinki, Finland, Oct. 23 to decide how best to share information about regulated healthcare workers with a disciplinary record who wish to practice in another European country.

Following the recently launched European Commission Consultation on Health Services, participants called upon the commission to work with all regulators to support efforts for making registered healthcare workers safe and “fit to practice.”

The European Commission is seeking to clarify EC rules making it easier for patients to gain treatment in another country and those that already enable health workers to practice in any European country.

The alliance said: “In a climate where more health professionals are moving around Europe and potentially more patients seeking treatment abroad, regulators are keen to ensure they have access to a full record of information about anyone seeking professional registration from another European country.

Hugh Simpson, convenor of AURE said: “The vast majority of European healthcare professionals are conscientious and safe practitioners. However, strengthening the basis for information sharing between competent authorities could help to protect patients from the small minority who pose a risk and seek to evade disciplinary action or regulatory control across the European Union.”

This recommendation follows agreement by European Ministers last year that all regulators will work more closely together to exchange information when regulated professionals want to register to practice in another European country.