Thanks Jeremy
I don’t think I’ve ever really overtly commented on political appointments in my many years of writing this column but I have to say that the new health secretary Jeremy Hunt is proving to be a huge help in terms of items for the Last Bite page. Last month he opined that the NHS should strive to be paperless and his latest good idea is for GPs to take efficiency lessons from Easyjet. I couldn’t make it up.
Urging our medical colleagues to start offering ‘e-consultations’ lasting just 60-seconds instead of the customary 10 minutes, I wonder if he will turn to us next with ideas to help reduce overheads as on other low-cost airlines? We could start charging patients for using the toilet, ask extra for premium appointment slots during busy periods such as school holidays and of course request that they take all their rubbish with them to save on cleaning. I for one can’t wait to see the first dental nurse, arms flailing, describing the emergency exit procedure from the waiting room.
An amalgam of composites
The recent UN announcement that dental mercury-containing amalgam is to be ‘phased down’ came as a considerable relief to those who were concerned that an outright ban was in the offing. While no time frame has been given for the phase-down it would of course be prudent for us to redouble our efforts to find alternatives.
One of the problems is that in terms of environmental pollutants far more mercury is pumped into the atmosphere in a single volcano eruption, for example, than all the dental amalgam put together and, what of the constituents of non-amalgam restorative materials? Recent press reports have questioned the use of bisphenol-A, for example, used in resins as well as fizzy-drinks cans (which is worse for you the can or the contents?). How ironic if after all the debate, humble-old amalgam with its 150 year plus history proved to be the safest material after all. Silver lining?
Anglo-Scots dental tourism
Who would have thought that the debate over the referendum on Scottish independence might touch so early on health issues? It seems that pro-Union campaigners are suggesting that cross-border medical treatment could become mired in red tape with patients caught up complex regulations.
The argument propounds that Scottish patients requiring specialist surgery south of the border would have to go through the same process as if they were travelling to a European Union state (which is after all, more or less what England is). This could lead to delays in treatment and medical costs having to be paid by the patient before being reimbursed. Of course it might also work in reverse with English patients becoming dental tourists in the Glens.
A moment of clarity has just descended upon me. That is what Jeremy Hunt was hinting at with his analogy on low-cost airlines; a new cross-border service in the event of a go-it-alone Scottish state – easyMcHealth.
FEBRUARY WINNER
The winner of the February prize is Roland Kitchen of Bristol for the caption: "Well, I just showed him the computer, then the keyboard and monitor – but I think it was the mouse that really frightened him!"