Is your working life as a dentist perfect?

If so that’s great but if not why not take part in next year’s Local Dental Committee (LDC) Conference, and tell us what you’d like to see help make some positive changes.

You can speak for your profession and be part of a movement for change.

My name is Leah Farrell and I am the chair of the next LDC Conference and I’m very much looking forward to next year’s event – which is going to be in Brighton, 4-5 June 2020 at the Grand Hotel. 

Conference 2020 promises to build on the work of recent conferences where delegates enthusiastically put forward innovative ideas for improving our professional lives. Hundreds of dentists from all over the UK will gather to meet new friends and form networks to further their careers.

I am particularly passionate about the issue of stress in our profession – it seems to be getting worse and I’m hearing stories of people feeling isolated and burnt out. We can all play a part in tackling this problem and I would like to place an emphasis on how we as LDCs can help each other when times get tough. 

The demographic of our workforce is changing, there are now more women than men entering the profession, and the standard career path of working as an associate and then buying a practice is changing. 

We need to hear the voices of as wide a spectrum of the profession as possible. This year conference passed a motion encouraging all LDCs to change their constitution to allow the co-option of two young dentists. 

This allows newcomers to join the LDC without having to worry about gathering votes, and gives them a way of meeting colleagues and to then get voted on to LDC as full member the next voting round.

A model LDC constitution can be found here. 

Any issues you feel strongly about can be debated and could well direct the policy of other key stakeholders, including your representatives on the General Dental Practice Committee.

This year we will be producing a quick guide to existing GDPC policy, so you can easily see what GDPC is already working on and help you to come up with new ideas and direction for change, that can have a real impact. 

We will keep you updated with progress on the programme for 2020 soon, but in the meantime, I call on LDCs to reach out to the younger dentists in their patch – please help support them and encourage them to get more involved. More information about LDC Conference is available on the website.



Leah Farrell, LDC Conference Chair