End of the impasse

News comes as the British Medical Association (BMA) was set for its first day of industrial action. The BDA has just completed its own ballot on industrial action, with 100 per cent of voters backing moves to join medics on their second planned day of industrial action set for December 8. 

The dentists are now joining medics in suspending plans for industrial action until further notice. 

Mick Armstrong, chair of the British Dental Association, said:

“Dentists have never taken industrial action before. Our members were never seeking to be pioneers, they just want what’s best for their patients and for practitioners, so we are pleased to see that 11^th hour negotiations are finally making headway.

“The results of our own ballot were unambiguous. However we have always believed that genuine dialogue could achieve more than industrial action, and we are satisfied to suspend all planned action indefinitely. 

"Government has helped break the deadlock by withdrawing its threat to impose a flawed contract. Like our medical colleagues, dentists never wanted to see this dispute get so far. Now that the single biggest obstacle has been removed we are cautiously optimistic that real progress is possible."