Summary
Two industry experts will help to steer the work of the dental provider board and support dental providers.
Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider Board (PCB) welcomes two new dental specialist advisers to the team – Jon Slattery and Mukhtar Ahmad.
Jon and Mukhtar will provide a link between the PCB – which is made up of representatives from all four primary care disciplines – the GM Dental Provider Board and dental providers working across Greater Manchester.
As dental specialist advisers they will work closely with the PCB delivery team, representing those working in dentistry and providing leadership to the emerging Dental Excellence and Dental Development programmes.
They will be directly accountable to the Dental Provider Board (DPB) and deliver on its agreed priorities and dental programme plan for 2024/26.
Jon, now retired, is an experienced NHS dental practitioner and practice owner for 25 years. Prior to this he worked at Price Waterhouse for six years and brings a degree of knowledge on audit and business systems analysis to his new role.
He has extensive and ongoing experience of representing the dental profession at local, GM and northwest dental committee level, as well as representation at national conferences.
Jon said: “I am looking forward to working with the Dental Provider Board and developing its workstreams. I hope to bring a pragmatic and practical viewpoint from the dental teams’ perspective.
“In particular, I will be looking at reporting systems and am keen to set up a CQC inspection advisory service for practices.”
Mukhtar has also worked predominantly in the NHS for the past 25 years and currently works in a practice in Oldham.
He has been an educational supervisor, supporting foundation dentists, for 14 years and is now a foundation therapist supervisor, working with undergraduates and postgraduates across the country. He is also a mentor for the GM Training Hub and is a GM primary care workforce clinical lead.
Mukhtar said: “My experience has led me to working closely with various organisations across GM, but also in the wider health care sector. I help to bring organisations together, reduce working in silos and reduce replication of work and plans.
“As a specialist adviser I will support the development of general dental practice in GM at both individual practice and locality level.”
The DPB represents providers of primary dental care in GM and uses its expertise, knowledge and experience to form a collective voice for dentistry on the wider Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider Board, and in turn helps to shape the delivery of primary care services in the city-region.
Recent achievements of DPB members include involvement in the Dental Quality Access Scheme, which has improved new patient and emergency access to NHS services, and collaborating with the PCB delivery team to introduce dental-specific webinars on handling complaints and understanding the CQC framework and inspections.
DPB has recently established a Dental Excellence programme, which will provide training and development opportunities as well as operate a self-referral system for support, like the established GP Excellence programme. They will also work on developing the skills and purpose of DPB and enhance leadership skills.
