It's not often these days that I would extol the virtues of papers in the British Dental Journal but in Volume 221 No. 8 October 21st 2016 page 449 there is one of the best opinion journal articles I have read. So good in fact that i've emailed the author in Australia.
Self regulation in dentistry and the social contract by A.C.L Holden is an extraordinary description of the problem that exists with the General Dental Council and its recent relationship with the profession overall. This article explores the concept of a social contract; a philosophical idea which lays out the responsibilities that the profession has to the public and that the public has to the profession. One of the fundamental aspects of this is self regulation.
For the profession of dentistry to continue to exist 60 years after the formation of the General Dental Council it's essential that we A. want to be known and treated as a profession and B. continue to act as a profession.
For the GDC to continue to exist in its role as a self regulating body helping patients and working with dentists (perhaps a better tag line than the one they have) it's essential that they see themselves as part of the profession not distinct from it.
It has been clearly stated both verbally and by the actions of the council that they see patients as consumers. If this is in fact the case then they do not see dentists as professionals and in that regard dentists do not need to be professionally regulated. This is a catch 22 of huge proportions for both sides - either we are professionals and we should be treated as professionals and we should be regulated as professionals (self regulated) which would include a professional at the top of the organisation; or we are providers to consumers who are treated as providers to consumers.
It is wholly unfair and utterly irrational for dentists to be able to be judged as healthcare professionals and consumer providers, but similarly it is wholly irresponsible of dentists to believe that they can be both.
At The Campbell Clinic we don't have clients and we don't have customers. We have and have always had patients. Event the title of this blog shows where I stand on the concept of being a business man within health care.
For everyones sake, the dentists, the GDC but most of all the patients, we are long, long past the time when this needed to be debated, resolved and written down for everyone to understand.
Patient or customer?
Blog Post Number: 1146
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