2023 Motions

1. Pilot for New SDR Determination 1

This conference demands that the Scottish Government commits to piloting the measures listed in Determination 1 of the SDR, as indicated by the Cabinet Secretary in September 2022, prior to full implementation across the profession in October 2023.

Lanarkshire LDC

Passed by conference unanimously
Passed by SDPC

2. Cost Increases

This conference believes that, with inflation at extraordinary levels, there should be a recurrent payment to reflect these cost increases, e.g., energy prices, materials, labour costs, laboratory costs etc.

Forth Valley LDC

The motion wording was amended by conference
The amended motion was passed by conference unanimously
Passed by SDPC

3. Adequate Sedation Fees

This conference demands that the Scottish Government provides improved training opportunities and realistic sedation fees to make treatment in practice financially and practically viable for GDPs.

Lanarkshire LDC

Passed by conference by majority
Passed by SDPC

4. Increase to Fees and Allowances

This conference believes that all fee items and allowances should be increased in line with any general uplift in SDR fees and there should be a retrospective reconciliation of these allowances. (e.g., GDPA, CPDA, OOH sessional rate, Vocational Training allowance.)

Forth Valley LDC

Passed by conference unanimously
Passed by SDPC

5. Increase in Continuous Professional Development Allowances

This conference demands an increase in Continuous Professional Development Allowances to 10 sessions per year.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde LDC

Passed by conference by majority
Passed by SDPC

6. Review of NHS Commitment Payment Calculation

This conference demands that the Scottish Government review how NHS commitment is calculated.

Lanarkshire LDC

Passed by conference unanimously
Passed by SDPC

7. Notice for Maternity Pay Entitlement

This conference demands that dentists claiming NHS maternity pay receive written confirmation of their entitlement, along with the working calculation, including a choice exercise regarding superannuation deductions within 6 weeks of the application being submitted.

Lanarkshire LDC and Greater Glasgow & Clyde LDC

The motion wording was amended by conference
The amended motion was passed by conference by majority 
Passed by SDPC

8. Reintroduce NHS Bursary Scheme

This conference proposes that the Scottish Government reintroduces the NHS bursary scheme to encourage recent graduates to remain in the NHS Dental System.

Lanarkshire LDC

Passed by conference by majority
Passed by SDPC

9. Modernisation of NHS Dental Technology

This conference demands provision of NHS dental technology through the introduction of a fair and reasonable reimbursement system for dentists using modern technologies such as digital scanning, 3D imaging, and digital study models.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde LDC

Passed by conference by majority
Passed by SDPC

10. Notice for Dental Reference Officer Exams

This conference calls for PSD to commit to giving 2 weeks’ notice of any DRO exam.

Lanarkshire LDC

Passed by conference unanimously 
Passed by SDPC

11. Specialist Shortages

This conference is concerned by the national shortage of Oral medicine and OFMS specialists and believes that Scottish Government should do more to encourage and facilitate these career pathways.

Lothian LDC

Passed by conference by majority
Passed by SDPC

12. Recruitment and Retention of Dental Nurses and Auxiliary Staff in NHS Dental Practices

This conference demands that the Scottish Government implements proposals for the recruitment and retention of dental nurses in NHS dental practices through implementing a national approach to recruitment and retention to include grants for training and education, increased access to organised courses that fulfil the requirements for re-registering with the General Dental Council (GDC), improved remuneration for dental businesses and creating a supportive and inclusive working environment that values the contribution of dental nurses.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde LDC

Passed by conference by majority
Passed by SDPC

13. Workforce Planning and Training

This conference believes that the viability of dentistry in Scotland is jeopardised by a lack of consideration of the workforce planning and training, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, and especially with respect to Laboratory Technicians. We call on the Scottish Government to urgently allocate funds to address this issue.

Forth Valley LDC

Passed by conference by majority
Passed by SDPC

14. Inadequate Funding for NHS Dental Laboratories Items

This Conference demands that the Scottish Government takes immediate action to address the funding crisis facing NHS dental laboratories and ensures patients receive quality dental care.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde LDC

Passed by conference by majority
Passed by SDPC

15. Domiciliary Care

The conference demands that Scottish Government address the crisis in domiciliary care provision through immediate training of more enhanced skills practitioners and appropriate reimbursement for the additional time and skill required to properly care for these complex patients.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde LDC

Passed by conference by majority
Passed by SDPC

16. OOH Sessional Rate

This conference believes the OOH sessional rate expressed in the SDR should be increased to reflect the complexity of the interaction with patients in distress, the workload or the need to operate in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar staff.

Forth Valley LDC

Passed by conference unanimously 
Passed by SDPC

17. Changes to Public Holiday Cover

This conference demands that all formal discussions about public holiday cover, both local and national, involve direct representation from GDPs.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde LDC

Passed by conference by majority 
Passed by SDPC

18. NHS24 and cover for Public Holidays

This conference demands that NHS24 provides practices with confirmed dates for all covered public holidays for the full calendar year at the start of each year. Furthermore, that the unequal level of provision of holiday cover evident across health boards and in comparison with our GMP colleagues is addressed to provide parity.

Lanarkshire LDC

Passed by conference by majority 
Passed by SDPC

19. Equal Treatment of Scottish Specialist Orthodontic Practices within the General Dental Services

This conference calls for the equal treatment of Scottish Specialist Orthodontic Practices within the General Dental Services and demands that these practices should be included in any future support initiatives under the umbrella of general dental services to avoid separation of specialist orthodontic provision from the general dental service, ensuring a level playing field for NHS dental contractors.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde LDC

Passed by conference by majority 
Passed by SDPC

20. Support for Mental Health

This conference demands targeted and specific support for mental health issues within Scottish dentistry.

Forth Valley LDC

Passed by conference by majority 
Passed by SDPC

21. Dental Corporate Bodies

This conference is concerned by the growth of large corporate bodies as a proportion of practice ownership in Scotland and by their associated influence on the dental landscape. This conference would like to see an open discussion, with the Scottish Government, to assess and ultimately mitigate any negative effects arising from this corporate growth.

Lothian LDC

Passed by conference by majority 
Passed by SDPC