Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

L ast month the King’s College London Dental Alumni Association host- ed a presentation for two pres- tigious awards – the Alumnus of the Year and the Alumnus Dis- tinguished Service Award. The Alumnus of the Year Award was this year shared by two alumni, Professor John S Greenspan (RDH, Dentistry, 1964) and Professor Deborah Greenspan (RDH, Dentistry, 1964). The prize is given to the person or persons who have achieved national and interna- tional distinction in any walk of life and brought credit to the profession, directly or indirect- ly, with particular emphasis on the last three years. Profs John and Deborah Greenspan are internationally recognised for their contribu- tions and achievements in the field of oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS. Prof Debora Greenspan commented: “This award was completely unexpected and is deeply appreciated. From the merger of the Royal Dental Hos- pital with Guy’s, then United Medical Dental Schools, the Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’, now King’s College London, we have felt part of a growing and supportive alumni group that can be proud of being part of an outstanding dental school and university. The heritage of the Royal lives on in King’s College London Dental Institute.” Prof John Greenspan added: “We did not know we were get- ting the award, so to hear about it while sitting among four ta- bles of my classmates and their guests at the reunion marking the 50 year since our gradu- ation was particularly poign- ant. Memories of 50 plus years ago, mingled with news of col- leagues’ families and careers flooded the mind with a mixture of emotions; nostalgia, pride, yes some sadness forthose no longer with us, plus a deep sense of gratitude for the edu- cation we received at the Royal all those many years ago.” The Alumnus Distinguished Service Award was presented to Mr Martin Kelleher. The award aims to honour a long-serving member of staff who has made a signifi- cant contribution to the Dental Institute or one of its constitu- ent Schools. Mr Kelleher is a Consult- ant in Restorative Dentistry at King’s College London Dental Institute. He was postgraduate tutor at King’s College Hospi- tal and Guy’s Dental Hospital for many years. He has lec- tured extensively both nation- ally and internationally for more than 25 years and is the author of many peer reviewed articles and a book on dental bleaching. President of the Dental Alumni Association, Dr Clive Debenham said: “Martin Kelle- her is a teacher whose idiosyn- cratic, didactic but sympathetic style will always be remem- bered by those lucky enough to fall under his tutelage.” Commenting on the award, Mr Kelleher said: “I was equal- ly surprised and delighted to receive this prestigious award from the Dental Alumni Asso- ciation. During my many years as postgraduate dental tutor at both the King’s College Hospi- tal, Denmark Hill site and the Guy’ Hospital site I tried to be as inclusive as possible of the various graduates, each with their different histories, in run- ning Clinical Day in conjunc- tion with the dental alumni. “I am delighted to note that the alumni and the Dental In- stitute generally continue to be highly successful and they are to be heartily congratu- lated on this. In expressing my deep gratitude for this honour I would like to take this op- portunity not just to thank all those involved, but also to wish them all the best for their fu- ture activities.” DT King’s dental alumni awards announced Martin Kelleher T he Health and Social Care Bill recently gained Royal Assent to become the Health and Social Care Act (2012). The core principles of the Act mean that doctors and nurs- es will be able to tailor services for their patients, more choice will be given to patients over how they are treated, and bu- reaucracy in the NHS will be reduced. The Act aims to: • Devolve power to front-line doctors and nurses: Health pro- fessionals will be free to design and tailor local health services for their patients • Drive up quality: Patients will benefit from a renewed focus on improving quality and outcomes • Ensure a focus on integration: There will be strong duties on the health service to promote integration of services • Strengthen public health: Giv- ing responsibility for local pub- lic health services to local au- thorities will ensure that they are able to pull together the work done by the NHS, social care, housing, environmental health, leisure and transport services • Give patients more informa- tion and choice: Patients will have greater information on how the NHS is performing and the range of providers they can choose for their healthcare. And they will have a stronger voice through Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch • Strengthen local democratic involvement: Power will shift from Whitehall to town hall – there will be at least one lo- cally elected councillor and a representative of Healthwatch on every Health and Wellbeing Board, to influence and chal- lenge commissioning decisions and promote integrated health and care • Reduce bureaucracy: Two lay- ers of management - Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities - will be removed through the Act, saving £4.5 bil- lion over the lifetime of this Par- liament, with every penny being reinvested in patient care Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, said: “The Health and Social Care Act will deliver more power to clinicians, it will put patients at the heart of the NHS, and it will reduce the costs of bureaucracy. “We now have an opportuni- ty to secure clinical leadership to deliver improving quality and outcomes; better results for pa- tients is our objective.” Professor Steve Field, chair of the NHS Future Forum, said: “It was a tremendous privilege to be able to chair the Independ- ent NHS Future Forum. All the comments and debate that we heard helped improve the Bill.” The implementation of the Act will now enable clinical leaders, patients’ representa- tives and local government to all take new and leading roles in shaping more effective ser- vices. DT Health and Social Care Bill gains royal assent W orld Health Day was celebrated on the 7th April, marking the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organisation in 1948. World Health Day is a global campaign, inviting every- one – from global leaders to the public in all countries – to focus on a single health challenge with global impact – the focus this year being Ageing and Health. World Health Day 2012 focused on how good health can add life to years, enabling older men and women to not only live longer, but also to extend their active in- volvement in all levels of society. Ageing concerns each and every one of us – whether young or old, male or female, rich or poor – no matter where we live. Before the end of this century, the world will have more older people than children. People are living longer and life expectancy continues to improve around the globe, but living longer is just one part of the equation - living well is the key to ensuring that older people remain healthy, energetic and involved in their communi- ties and society as a whole. As the world’s population continues to age, social and eco- nomic implications of an ageing population will need to be ad- dressed. Evidence suggests that moderate physical activity can help to improve and prolong mo- bility in the elderly, yet as age increases, physical activity often decreases. This sort of decline in activity levels is more pro- nounced in women, low-income groups and in persons with low education levels. Education and awareness are therefore key as well as ad- equate provision of age-friendly, community-based exercise and recreation facilities as well as improved access to basic primary health care. But perhaps the most important role for government and community leadership bod- ies lies in acknowledging the val- ue of older people and the contri- butions they make to family and community life. Although it is never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle, start- ing early will make sure that your later years are not only long, but also healthy. Studies show that children’s arteries start showing atherosclerosis from as early as two years of age, which means the effects begin in utero. What- ever your age, regular exercise is crucial, so don’t delay. DT World Health Day (L-R) Professor John Greenspan, Professor Deborah Greenspan and Dr Clive Debenham April 23-29, 20122 News United Kingdom Edition