Reports of Ukrainian refugees returning to Ukraine for dental treatment as they’re unable to find treatment in the UK
People turning to DIY dentistry, pulling out their own teeth or creating home-made fillings and dentures
Tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for 6-10 year olds
In 2021-22, 83,000 people attended A&E for dental problems
Around 12 million adults in England haven’t seen an NHS dentist in the last two years
“They [people in England] are becoming so desperate that they are taking matters into their own hands. You’re then seeing the spillover into general medical practice, because people can’t get access to dental practice. And so doctors are becoming overwhelmed, A&E is becoming overwhelmed with dental problems. I think broadly the word ‘crisis’ is overused but we have been in a crisis situation for many years.” – Shawn Charlwood, chairman of the general dental practice committee at the British Dental Association
A 2022 BBC investigation found that 9/10 NHS dental practices across the UK aren’t accepting new patients for treatments. This is creating a huge oral health disparity between those who can afford to seek private dental treatment as an alternative, and those who can’t. Private dental care can be very expensive, and for many people in England, this simply is not a viable alternative.
NHS dentists will be given a ‘new patient’ payment of £15-£50 to treat patients who haven’t seen an NHS dentist in 2 or more years
Around 240 dentists (about 1% of the workforce) will be offered one-off payments of up to £20,000 for working in under-served areas for 3 years
‘Dental vans’ to be used to help reach the most isolated communities
NHS work made more attractive to dentists, with the minimum value of activity being raised from £23 to £28
Water fluoridation programme to be consulted on to attempt to reduce the number of tooth extractions from decay in the most deprived areas, starting in the North East
‘Smile for Life’ programme will offer advice to parents for baby gums and milk teeth and aims for children to see tooth brushing as a normal part of their daily routine
“Backed by £200 million, this new recovery plan will deliver millions more NHS dental appointments and provide easier and faster access to care for people right across the country” – Rishi Sunak
Criticism
The plan has been criticised by Labour’s shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, for being a “temporary measure.” Streeting has also drawn attention to the £400 million underspend in the NHS dentistry budget last year. Given that the new proposal is only backed by £200 million of funding, there are concerns that it may not be enough to drive the reform we so desperately need.
There was also strong criticism from the British Dental Association…
“Our recent surveys show over 8 in 10 dentists have treated patients who’ve undertaken some form of ‘DIY’ dental work since lockdown. It’s a national disgrace.
Ministers need to take some responsibility. A wealthy 21st Century nation is slipping back to the Victorian era on their watch.
The Government keeps saying it wants everyone to be able to access NHS dentistry. But there’s no sign of a credible plan to make that a reality, and no willingness to break from the failed contract” – British Dental Association
“This ‘Recovery Plan’ is not worthy of the title. It won’t halt the exodus from the workforce or offer hope to millions struggling to access care” –Shawn Charlwood
by Red Star Wealth
The XL bully dog ban was made effective yesterday, making it illegal to own a dog of this breed without a valid certificate.
What is the Ban?
Under this new law, it is now a criminal offence to own or possess an XL bully dog in England and Wales unless you possess a valid Certificate of Exemption. You also cannot:
Sell an XL bully
Abandon one
Give one away
Breed from one
Applications for Certificates of Exemption are now closed, meaning you must get authorisation from a court order for any new exemptions.
The new law comes with a range of other strict regulations. If you own an XL bully you must:
Keep it at the same address as the certificate holder – you can only keep it at a different address for a maximum of 30 days in a 12 month period
Tell Defra if you permanently change address
Have third party liability insurance for the dog and provide proof of renewal to Defra every year
Tell Defra if the dog dies or is exported
Keep the dog muzzled and on a lead whenever in public spaces
Keep the dog in secure conditions to prevent escape
Why Was the Ban Introduced?
The ban has been introduced in an attempt to reduce the number of dog attacks. It comes in the wake of publicised XL bully attacks which have led to severe injuries and in some cases, death. This includes people like Ian Price, age 52 who died in September 2023; 10 year old Jack Lis who died in November 2021; and Bella-Rae Birch, who died in March 2022 when just 17 months old.
NHS consultant, Richard Baker, has commented that XL bullies have very powerful jaws, which is why attacks from them can be so severe. He said, “It’s a crushing or tearing injury. Once they grip they don’t let go.”
Controversy
There has certainly been controversy around this law, particularly given its short notice for owners, breeders and shelters. Its opponents have argued that action needs to be taken against unscrupulous breeders and irresponsible owners, rather than punishment being carried out on the dog breed.
The Dog Control Coalition, made up of groups like the British Veterinary Association and the RSPCA, said “Banning the breed will sadly not stop these types of incidents recurring.”
In an open letter to Rishi Sunak in December 2023, they outlined a number of concerns, such as:
The speed of the ban being introduced
Inadequate financial support for owners to comply with the exemption
Whether the vet profession has the capacity to neuter tens of thousands of dogs in order to comply with this ban
The impact on the rescue sector
A lack of enforcement support
Sophie Coulthard, an organiser of the ‘Don’t Ban Me – License Me’ campaign group, said “The problem with this knee-jerk reaction is that it won’t stop dog attacks. We need to focus on licensing and educating owners, with compulsory training and tougher punishments to prevent people from impulse-buying dogs.”
The group is calling for the government to adopt a similar approach to the Calgary Model in Canada as an alternative to the XL bully ban. The Calgary Model is an educational, licensing and stronger enforcement programme that has been hugely successful, helping to reduce the number of dog bites by 70% and creating a 15% decrease in aggressive dog incidents within 5 years of implementation.
by Red Star Wealth
Earlier this week, Home Secretary, James Cleverly, announced a set of new measures designed to reduce immigration levels in the UK.
Cleverly’s Five Point plan
Step one in Cleverly’s Five Point Plan is to “end the abuse of the health and care visa” by stopping overseas care workers from bringing family dependents with them into the UK. He added that around 120,000 dependents accompanied 100,000 care workers and senior care workers in the year ending September 2023. Out of these dependents, only 25% are estimated to be in work. Cleverly stated that this means that “a significant number are drawing on public services rather than helping to grow the economy”.
Additionally, he has increased the annual immigration health surcharge from £624 to £1,035, acting as a 66% rise. This is a fee which some people pay as part of their immigration application, depending on the immigration status they are applying for.
Step two in his Five Point Plan is an increase to the minimum salary requirement for skilled worker visas, bringing it from £26,200 to £38,700. This means the minimum salary that prospective immigrants must earn in a skilled job to get a skilled worker visa has increased by around a third. Those arriving on health and social care visa routes will be exempt from this.
Step three is aimed at cracking down on cut-price labour for overseas. The government will end the 20% going rate salary discount for professions in the greatest need and will also be replacing the Shortage Occupation List with a new Immigration Salary List, which will contain less occupations.
Step four is to raise the minimum income for family visas so that immigrants only bring dependents into the UK which they can support financially. This brings the minimum income requirements up from £18,600 to £38,700.
Finally, he has also asked the Migration Advisory Committee to review The Graduate Route. The Graduate Route is where a Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully passing an eligible course in the UK, such as a UK bachelor’s degree or postgraduate degree. This means that international students can currently access a two-year post-work study visa. The decision to review The Graduate Route comes in the wake of the decision to ban overseas masters students from bringing family members into the UK.
The Office of National Statistics’ net migration figure for the UK in 2022 was 745,000, acting as a record high. Cleverly has predicted that his Five Point Plan will mean that around 300,000 fewer people will come into the UK than in previous years.
Criticism
These decisions surrounding immigration have not been without criticism, particularly due to the UK already struggling to fill staff vacancies.
“In a chaotic panic, Prime Minister now opposes the policies that he introduced and thinks that their own decisions are a problem, but who does the Home Secretary think has been in charge for the last 13 years?” –Yvette Cooper, Shadow Home Secretary
“The government has put the final hammer blow to our crumbling social care system. The home secretary’s announcement of new immigration plans will sacrifice migrant care workers and risk a total collapse of the UK’s care system, just to appease extremist Tory backbenchers. […] Had he [Rishi Sunak], or his ministers, spoken to any employer in the care sector, they would know that any plans to curb the migrant care workforce will cause utter disaster. Not allowing migrant care workers to bring any dependents with them to the UK will do exactly that. […] Staff vacancies will soar from the current number of 152,000, and I don’t see a queue of British workers waiting to take up those posts. We will see care homes closing and care companies going bust.” –Christina McAnea, General Secretary of UNISON
by Red Star Wealth
Sunak’s recent decision to ’empower’ patients by giving them the option to travel further or go private to receive treatment highlights the continued struggles of the NHS to cut down on waiting times.
Sunak’s Decision
Rishi Sunak recently announced that GPs will now be required to offer patients up to 5 healthcare providers where clinically appropriate. They will have to give patients the option to travel further for treatment or to go to a private alternative (bypassing the NHS).
The aim of this measure is to tackle the continued NHS backlog in an attempt to reduce waiting times for treatment.
“While we agree that patients should be at the centre of decision making about their care, doctors working in both primary and secondary care are acutely aware that our patients just want to be seen in good time and close to home. It is long waiting lists, due to the long-term undervaluing of NHS staff and poor workforce planning, that are preventing this from happening, not a lack of patient choice”
“There are no shortcuts here- in order to make real progress, the Government must focus its efforts on addressing the workplace crisis across the NHS, investing in the health and appropriately valuing staff. That is the only way to tackle the record-breaking backlog and help patients who are desperate to be treated swiftly and close to home”
This is a particularly prominent set of points when we consider figures that show the NHS to be strained, and its staff to be overworked. The number of patients per fully qualified GP has grown in 66% of practices since 2015; this means that each GP is having to deal with more and more patients every year.
Further to this, the BMA recommends that GPs see no more than 25 patients a day. Despite this, over the whole of March, the local GP practices for 62% of people living in England’s most deprived neighbourhoods saw over 25 patients a day on average.
The Turn to Private Healthcare
Sunak’s recent decision highlights NHS’s struggle as he is essentially trying to get GPs to get more patients to use alternatives to the NHS (through private options), to reduce the load it is taking on.
Therefore, it comes as little surprise that Aviva reported a 25% increase in the number of new health insurance policies taken out with them in the first 3 months of this year. Private healthcare is becoming increasingly enticing as the NHS continues to be understaffed, underfunded, continually backlogged, and plagued with strikes from its stressed-out workers.
by Red Star Wealth
The government’s decision to make valid forms of photo ID a requirement for voting has faced backlash.
The Government’s Decision
From 4th May onwards, voters in England will have to show a form of valid photo ID at polling stations in:
Local elections
Police and Crime Commissioner Elections
UK parliamentary by-elections
Recall elections
This rule will also then apply for voting in UK General Elections from October this year.
If you do not have a valid form of photo ID, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate free of charge here.
The reasoning for this decision is to help avoid electoral fraud and ensure that democratic process is followed with voting. However, the Electoral Commission found no evidence of large-scale electoral fraud in the last 5 years. In fact, there have only been 1,386 cases of alleged electoral fraud reported to police between 2018 and 2022, with only 9 convictions and 6 cautions issued by the police.
What this Decision Means…
According to the Electoral Commission’s Public Opinion Tracker of February 2022, 3% of Great Brits don’t have any form of photo ID. They also noted that those who didn’t own a valid form of voter ID were more likely to be from disadvantaged groups, including:
17% of people renting from their local authority
10% of people renting from a housing association
14% of those who were unemployed
8% of those who are a DE social grade *
7% of those with lower levels of education
*A DE social grade is those in semi-skilled and unskilled manual occupations, those who are unemployed, and those in the lowest grade occupations.
As you can see here, the government’s decision runs the risk of effectively disenfranchising those from disadvantaged groups, inviting criticism from some individuals and groups…
Criticisms of Voter ID
David Davis, a former Conservative cabinet minister has called for the government to at least delay the introduction of their new voter ID rules to avoid many people being potentially restricted from voting. This is a particularly prominent point given that the May local elections are just around the corner.
“I would at the very least delay it and say, “look we will do this in due course when we’ve got enough of the people in that vulnerable group covered””
“If they do that, at least it avoids the worst outcome which is thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people are prevented from voting and exercising their democratic right”
Further to this, Electoral Reform have deemed it “an expensive distraction”:
“It’s not just those without ID that will have to pay up. The government’s own figures suggest the scheme will cost up to £180,000,000 extra a decade. We’ll all pay – and for what? Making it slower to vote – as poll workers try to match passports with ten-year-old photos to their owners and driving licenses that are still in voters’ maiden names. Should already over-stretched council workers be able to turn people away from polling stations due to bureaucratic errors?”
Polly Toynbee, a Guardian columnist, has also drawn attention to the unfairness of the government’s list of forms of acceptable voter ID, writing:
“Are you surprised that the list includes all kinds of acceptable ID held by older voters, but that the ID the young might have has been struck out? The whole purpose is to make it harder for young people, poor people and those who often move home to vote”
This is an interesting point given that voters aged 70 and over are 3 times more likely to vote Conservative than those in the 18-24 age band. It is significant that the government’s decision to implement voter ID mainly affects those who are lower income and younger aged, as these groups are less likely to vote for the current government to stay in power.
The deadline for applying for free voter ID in time to be able to vote in May’s local elections is 5pm on 25thApril, so if you don’t have a valid photo ID, apply for this soon!
by Red Star Wealth
Jeremy Hunt’s decision to scrap the pensions lifetime allowance, announced on Wednesday 15th March during his Spring Budget, has been met with controversy.
What was the Lifetime Allowance?
The lifetime allowance previously capped the amount that individuals could save into their private pension before incurring a tax charge. Previous to the Spring Budget, the lifetime allowance was set at £1,073,100, with expectations that Hunt would increase this figure to £1.8 million. However, in a surprise move he instead decided to abolish the lifetime allowance completely.
For most lower and middle earners, the scrapping of the lifetime allowance will not affect them. This decision will mainly affect higher earners as these tend to be the people who can afford to build bigger pension pots.
“It is a pension tax reform that will stop over 80% of NHS doctors from receiving a tax charge and incentivise our most experienced and productive workers to stay in work for longer”
“I have listened to the concerns of many senior NHS clinicians who say unpredictable pension tax charges are making them leave the NHS just when they are needed most”
The decision to scrap the lifetime allowance is aimed to keep people close to retirement in the workforce for longer, as well as encouraging those who have already retired to return to work. This is because there is more incentive for employees to stay in work to continue building their pension as they won’t face tax penalties for doing so. The idea is that this will help stimulate economic activity and produce economic growth.
Criticism
However, this decision has been met with controversy, with some arguing that whilst these changes would indeed combat the issue of 55% tax penalties faced by doctors, they would also give a big boost to many wealthy people.
David Brooks, head of policy at Broadstone, has argued that scrapping the lifetime allowance and increasing the annual pensions contributions has acted as a “huge tax giveaway to the wealthiest people in the country”
The following images is taken from the director of the Social Market Foundation, James Kirkup’s, twitter:
Perhaps the government should be focussing on getting more people to start building pensions, rather than helping those with large pensions make them even bigger.
Shadow Chancellor and Labour MP, Rachel Reeves stated:
“The only surprise in the budget was a huge handout to the richest one percent of pension savers […] Labour believes that the tax burden should be shared fairly. That is why I’ve announced today that Labour will reverse the changes to tax-free pension allowances. It is the wrong priority at the wrong time”
Given that Labour is favoured to win the next general election, it is a real possibility that Hunt’s scheme may not be in place for very long…
To read more about other changes announced in the Spring Budget, check out our previous blog.
