Representing Your Views
Liverpool LDC is a Statutory Body
Local Dental Committees were set up in 1948, at the beginning of the National Health Service. The NHS Act 1977 makes provision for local NHS representatives to consult with LDCs on any matters of local dental interest.
You may have noticed the “Statutory Levy” being deducted from your NHS schedule. This is the way in which LDC’s are funded, by the profession, for the profession.
To ensure that we represent local dentists, we are elected to the committee by practising NHS dentists. The elections happen every other year, but each member serves for four years.
We'd love to hear your issues
LDC Committee & Meetings
- Danny Chow
- Helen Clint
- Steve Croston (Hon Treasurer)
- Nick Daley
- Reza Dilmahomed
- Lisa Duthie
- Marie-Louise Duthie (Honorary Secretary)
- Stuart Garton
- Salman Khan
- Rick Lo Giudice
- Dominic McLaughlin
- Bill Powell (Chairman)
- Clare Robinson
- Vip Syal (Vice-Chair)
As well as meeting with NHS England (Cheshire and Merseyside Area Team) on a regular basis, Liverpool LDC is involved in various regional and national meetings to ensure grass roots dentists are heard. Find out more about the meetings we’re involved in below.
Liverpool LDC meets five evenings per year. We discuss issues of concern to dentists locally, and decide what actions we will take to address them. Members keep in touch with the dentists in their area to ensure we have a broad understanding of what is happening. If you’d like to visit one of our meetings please contact us.
Cheshire and Merseyside Area Team cover five LDC’s – Cheshire, Mid-Mersey, Sefton, Liverpool and Wirral. To ensure we work together effectively the executives (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary & Treasurer) of each of these committees meet together to share information, draft joint responses, and plan strategy.
The topics of most concern across the entire area are taken forward as priorities in our limited time with NHS England.
Our main local meeting with NHS England is via the Dental Engagement Group (DEG). Here we raise the concerns of practitioners, challenge NHS England proposals, and give input in local implementation of national policies. We have positively influenced many aspects of the everyday working lives of NHS dentists, and continue to engage on issues that matter to the profession.
A representative of the five LDC’s in Cheshire and Merseyside sits as an observer on the LDN. This role allows LDC’s to both scrutinise and support the work of the Local Dental Network, ensuring proposals are workable for General Dental Practitioners.
Each speciality in dentistry has an NHS England Managed Clinical Network. These groups of clinicians and commissioners examine strategic priorities for the service. In Cheshire and Merseyside the Orthdontic, Oral Surgery, Paediatric and Special Care MCN’s all interface with the Primary Care MCN to ensure plans for primary care dentistry are achievable. As such the LDC have a representative on this group to give independent practitioner perspective.
Each year every Local Dental Committee in the country meets at a national conference. As well as receiving updates from the Department of Health, NHS, Pilots and Prototype practices, the LDC’s propose motions to the General Dental Practitioner Committee. The votes on these motions informs the negotiating position of GDPC in its dealings with the Department of Health on a range of issues. More details can be found here.
A further national meeting is held organised by the British Dental Association. Here we receive further updates on national policies, contract reform, and nationwide issues. In addition General Dental Practice Committee give a formal response to the LDC conference motions, and what they have done since conference.