There's a, there's opportunity for.
Therapy to be better employed because of a corporate model,
which it wouldn't have, it wasn't possible when it's single-handed practises to where,
where would you put a hygienist to to some degree as well,
where do you put a therapist in that business model now with corporates,
they are exploring it more, it seems, and actually it seems like maybe the.
The age of the therapist is coming in the UK dentistry.
It it does feel a little bit like that, you know, it it feels,
it feels like perhaps things have started to change.
I mean for for me.
Especially, you know, I, I trained as a hygienist first and then um converted to do
therapy when, you know, things started to make a move and that was I qualified in '99,
so it's been a little while coming.
But you know, now when I go to practise, I have a list of patients and I have um NHS patients.
I open the courses of treatment, I complete the courses of treatment,
hopefully, um, soon I won't need any input from the dentist in terms of prescription,
um. And, and that's very different to the model
where, you know, I used to have to sort of ask for every single thing.
I mean, in the very early days, I used to be literally prescribed the filling material,
the lining, everything, uh, whereas now I have much more autonomy,
which is, you know, it's fantastic in my career to be able to see that.
And like you say, yeah, the corporate model is, is, you know,
hopefully we'll see the value of dental therapists, um,
and how they can.
You know, put into NHS treatment, but you know there's there's also the whole,
you know, the whole raft of of dental professionals that can can sort of work within
and deliver dentistry, um, if we follow like the medical model,
you know, it would be really great, you know.
If you have diabetes, you don't really go see the GP you go see a diabetic nurse,
and, and they look after you and they're the best person.
So why if you've got periodontal disease, you don't go and see the dental hygienist totally.
Um, and, you know, if you've got Ky's a therapist.
So, hopefully, before I retire, we might even see that.
But we do need the NHS, you know, contract to work for that,
because, like I mentioned earlier, I've, I've moved a few times in the last couple of years,
and that's mainly been a, because of the contract.
Um, and, and the way, you know, it's, it's delivered and also,
um, because associates, that is, because the contract is the way it is,
it's very difficult for associates to use therapists in the,
in, in the way. So we, you know, we do need the,
the NHS contract to, to work to be, it's all very well opening up the barriers and I'm,
you know, I say grateful. I'm grateful is the wrong word because I mean
it should have been done a long time ago.
But I am, you know, really pleased that those barriers have now been lifted and we can truly
in the very near future have direct access and patients can come and see us for,
for, you know, the treatment we can deliver, but.
We need to have it in a way that's financially viable for the practise,
you know, that makes it attractive for um practise owners,
corporates, businesses to to be able to utilise us.
But it also has to be fair to us as well.
And then, you know, I know I keep banging on about it,
but If we're going to deliver NHS contract value, then why shouldn't we have the same
benefits as dentists, you know, and you know I'm talking about the pension,
but. I mean, for, for therapists and hygienists that
are actually clinically delivering NHS value, that seems like it's totally unfair and
discriminatory that we're not considered the same way as dentists.
But the other members of the dental team, you know, that deliver NHS contracts,
the dental nurses, the technicians, orthodontic therapists, why,
why, you know, what makes us so different that we can't have that benefit when,
you know, if you, if you work in an NHS um medical surgery.
Or any other aspect, you're entitled to them. So, you know,
that we've come a long way and I'm, I'm grateful and happy for that,
but, you know, let's, let's have some parity is uh what I'd really say.