The pandemic and the measures put in place to fight it tore up many of life’s norms, leading many to question whether society will ever return to how it was before. Yet, one of the great paradoxes is that for many people this extreme change to the way they live has actually been characterised by monotony. For those on furlough without a regular work routine, it felt like every day was the same thing again and again. The inability to venture out and see different things, socialise with different people and enjoy a variety of experiences was, for many, just boring.
For large periods there wasn’t even variety offered by the news cycle, with covid coverage smothering the life out of any other story as it dominated the airwaves and front pages. It is perhaps another paradox that, at a certain point, more ‘focus’ on an issue actually makes it less likely that people will pay attention. When we think we have seen something before, isn’t it perfectly natural we don’t pay as much attention?
This ran through my mind last month when seeing the Uber Supreme Court case ruling and the finding that its drivers are workers, not self-employed. The story gave me a sense of déjà vu; I was sure I had read it before – perhaps because most of the arguments made, I had. The discussion has been rumbling since 2016, and the details had stuck in my mind because the implications were, and are, huge for dentistry – both in terms of individual practitioners and for practices. On page 12, Lee Muter looks at the latest ruling and what it could mean for the profession. Whilst there is some comfort on the tax front, the question is posed as to whether a dental associate could be considered self-employed by HMRC and yet be a worker from an employment law perspective.
Whilst an understanding of the arguments presented in 2016 is useful background information, it does not mean that attention does not have to be given to the latest ruling. If you want to see a true picture of something, both foreground and background are essential. And whilst this may seem obvious that does not mean it is easy, particularly in the ever-changing world of dentistry. Keeping focus on everything you need to can be tough. For example, last year saw many people’s attention turn to infection prevention and control and the dramatic changes needed for practices to remain compliant, but that doesn’t mean that other elements of running a practice could simply be ignored or taken for granted.
Dentistry is incredibly multi-faceted, and for a practice to be successful it has to be on top of a range of different issues. Whether it is employment law (Emma Carr and Lesley Harrison discuss covid jab requirements on page 18), practice reputation management (Jennifer Rhind looks at the problem of online defamation on page 14), patient communication (Ruth Findlay covers the money conversation on page 36, while Amanda Sheehan discusses oral health advice on page 62) or building a positive team environment (Catherine Rutland explores the opportunities for change presented by the pandemic on page 40), all these things need to be kept in mind and continually reassessed.
When asked if things are okay in your practice, would your response be based on knowledge, assumption or hope? Which one of those three should it be? In answering this second question there is perhaps an analogy to be had with clinical practice. As a dentist, you wouldn’t diagnose a patient without looking in their mouth, and certainly wouldn’t proceed with a treatment plan. Even patients with perfect oral health are always encouraged to return after an appropriate period of time for a check-up. It is standard practice in dentistry, and it should be for dental practices too – to ensure things are proceeding as they should. It is a process that never ends; assess and reassess, and then again… and again...