Mike Clarke

Speaker Profile

Mike qualified from Cardiff in 1979 and until recently practised in North Yorkshire. He has been active in dental politics for many years and is a regular contributor to the dental press. He is a past chairman of the Dental Practitioners' Association and has had a longstanding involvement in vocational training. He is a former member of the Department of Health's Standing Dental Advisory Committee and is a past vice-chairman of the British Dental Association's Private Practice Committee.
He has a continuing association with the development of training and examination of dental care professionals. He also oversees the practice membership programme that DPL operates in some countries. Mike has recently been awarded a Master in Philosophy in Medical Law from Glasgow University.

Lecture Synopsis

Who takes the blame

The concept of the dental team is now the new dental "buzzword". In its purest form the team comprises of several individuals (clinical and non clinical) who work together in the best interests of the patient. Theoretically speaking all should go well, but as in any area of life this is not always the case. When things go wrong then each of the team are often quick to criticise the other but who actually takes the blame in those situations. Traditionally this was always the dentist, but since the introduction of registration for DCPs and the requirement for indemnity for all the dental team, this is no longer always the case. Mikes talk then will concentrate on the potential areas of conflict and vulnerability for dental technicians and provide some helpful and hopefully thought provoking answers.