We’re back

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 17:56:32 +0000

Precision PR is once again accepting new projects

After a couple of years during which we had to scale back our activities, we’re now able to stat accepting new projects. We’re available for content creation, PR consultancy and sustainability programmes.

At some point soon, we’ll be available to take on new websites and full PR programmes again. Chris and Cary are both healthy again, and we’re rebuilding our team of associates and specialists. So if you’re looking for a specialist in digital imaging, medical imaging, services to dentistry, practice management software or sustainability, please get in contact. We’ll be happy to discuss your requirements and how we might held.

Please email chris@precisionpr.co.uk or call +447432 189149.

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Helping the Planet to breathe a little easier

Anastasia Smith — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 03:27:59 +0000

One of the biggest single sources of greenhouse gas for which the NHS is responsible comes via something that many patients – and staff – carry around in their pockets. A tiny, blue plastic tube, normally less than 10 cm in length.

The villain of the piece is the Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI), used to deliver Salbutamol and similar medication.

Salbutamol is a lifesaver and a life changer. It’s one of those miracle drugs that is incredibly effective, rapid-acting, and yet (for most patients) has almost no significant side effects – other than the joy of suddenly being able to breathe! It’s used to relieve the symptoms of asthma – a debilitating lung condition with a real capability to kill.

A 200 dose salbutamol sulphate ‘reliever’ via a metered-dose inhaler (with an HFA propellant)

Asthma is a condition that affects your airways – the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. It can be triggered by one or several factors such as allergies, anxiety, sensitivity to weather changes or physical exertion.

The thing is, it’s NOT Salbutamol that damages the atmosphere. The problem is caused by the propellant used to expel the drug from a tiny pressurised canister.

The propellant needs to be highly compressible to make the device small and portable. It also has to be chemically inert to avoid reactions with the drug, which is highly reactive (hence its ability to act quickly). And it is these very properties that make the propellant damaging to the atmosphere.

So what’s the scale of the problem?

First up, the propellants used are a group of chemicals called Hydroflouroalkanes (HFAs). HFAs were introduced into inhalers in the 1990s, as a solution to ozone-damaging CFCs. But they are 1,000 to 3,000 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than is Carbon Dioxide (CO2). According to research published by the University of Manchester, one puff of a typical MDI using the common propellant HFA-134a has a global warming potential equivalent of 0.13 kg of CO2.

The second problem is their incredible stability; great for preserving the drug while in the inhaler, but it means they take decades to break down in the atmosphere, and some of the compounds they degrade into are also ‘greenhouse gases’.

The third issue is the sheer number of MDIs in use. According to an article in Nature (13th May 2020, by Sarah DeWeerdt – https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01377-7), the annual greenhouse gas emissions from MDIs in the UK are equivalent to those of roughly 600,000 diesel cars. In the USA it is the 7th most commonly prescribed drug with over 60 million prescriptions. Across the whole NHS, 25% of emissions are related to medicines – with 3% coming directly from the use of MDIs – that’s not far short of the emissions from staff traveling to and from work. MDIs make up about a quarter of the carbon footprint from GP prescriptions.

So what to do?

The simple answer is to reduce the use of MDI’s and persuade patients to use other types of inhaler, such as Dry-powder or Soft-mist inhalers. But these have limitations. Dry powder inhalers require a higher inspiratory force, so aren’t suitable for all patients, while Soft-mist inhalers are complicated and expensive devices.

In the long-term, clearly, some very clever chemists and pharmacists will need to get creative in the lab and find a new, less damaging propellant, or some clever designer will need to come up with something as simple and safe, portable, and generally easy-to-use as a MDI, but which doesn’t rely on pressurised HFAs to operate.

A case study

My colleague Chris is asthmatic. His condition is generally severe, but well controlled. He uses a dry powder preventer morning and night, but carries an MDI ‘reliever’ to help manage symptoms during his working day.

A 120 dose beclomethasone dipropionate / formoterol fumarate dehydrate ‘preventer’ via a dry-powder inhaler designed by Fostair

After a chat with his asthma nurse, she agreed to switch Chris to a Dry-powder reliever too. Given that this coincided with the complication of Chris catching COVID, we thought other asthma sufferers and clinicians might find his experiences so far to be useful.

“I always feel it’s harder to breathe out than in,” says Chris. “I’ve never had a problem taking my Dry-powder preventer, so my nurse thought a dry-powder reliever would work for me.

“While I’ve been ill I’ve needed to take my reliever 6 or 8 times a day, at least. That’s much more often than usual. However, I found that my new Dry Powder inhaler was just as easy to take. I also felt it was at least as effective – not as quick-acting but longer-lasting.

A 120 dose terbutaline sulphate ‘reliever’ via a dry-powder inhaler, designed by AstraZeneca

“I’m carrying both at the moment, as an emergency backup and also because I currently own only one dry-powder device, while I have several MDIs stored in places such as on my desk and in my car, so I can find one if I need it. Now I’m recovering well, I find I only have to take the Dry-powder reliever once or twice a day.

“Based on my experience so far, I would recommend all asthmatics discuss a switch to dry powder with their nurse. And if you’re suitable, please do make the change because it will make a disproportionately huge benefit to atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions.”

You can get more information about alternative treatments and drugs for asthma from the charity Asthma UK: https://www.asthma.org.uk/

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Press Release – Enspec expands Systems Studies Team

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:33:05 +0000

For Immediate Release

Enspec expands Systems Studies Team

High demand for specialist skill creates new career opportunities

22^nd September 2020, St Helens, UK – Power quality engineering specialists, Enspec Power Limited, is reporting a consistent increase in demand for its power system studies. So much so that it is expanding its system studies team, and currently searching for new trainee engineers.

“We’re specifically looking for new electrical engineering graduates,” says Enspec director, Tim Rastall. “Because systems studies require a unique approach to the work, we’re looking for people who want to learn the unique skillset and develop their engineering capabilities towards Chartership. It’s an area of our business that has enjoyed constant growth, and demand is outstripping our current capacity.”

Enspec’s clients include renewable energy projects, power transmission networks, and manufacturers connecting to the national grid (including one of the world’s most famous car makers). They are increasingly recognising the benefits of carrying out system studies early in project cycles to ensure grid code compliance. As a specialist in the field, Enspec is now taking on engineers to build the team from the bottom up.

“We have a policy of staff development, and a clear promotion and succession strategy,” explains Tim Rastall. “That is one of the best ways of building specialist skills and retaining them within the company.”

One of the products of this strategy is Kerim Ozer, who’s promotion has led to the recruitment drive. “I joined Enspec as a new graduate 4 years ago, with the objective of becoming a chartered engineer,” says Kerim. “It’s been an exciting journey, helping grow the systems studies services as I have learned new skills and taken on more and more responsibility for increasingly complex projects. Enspec has provided me with excellent support to develop my engineering career.”

Tim Rastall hopes to have someone in post by the end of the year. “COVID-19 has made it a bit trickier to recruit than it might have been, but we’re still hoping to have at least one new starter in post by the end of the year. We’re advertising for recent graduates with a particular interest in this aspect of engineering and ambitions to complete their Chartership. We’re based in St Helens, but whoever comes on board will have opportunities to work all over the UK, and possibly Europe.”

Enspec Power Systems offers a ‘full-stack’ of survey services for grid code compliance and power system analysis – both independent studies and turnkey study and solution offerings.

For more information on vacancies, visit the Enspec website: https://www.enspecpower.com/ or contact Tim Rastall on 01744 347547

//-ends-//

Notes to Editors

About Enspec Power Ltd

Enspec helps organisations to make money and to save money – professional engineers can do this! It offers specialist engineered products and services such as Power System Studies, Power Factor Correction, Harmonic Filters, Reactive Compensation, Point-on-Wave Switching and Site Services. The company helps all manner of heavy electricity users such as utilities and renewables, oil and gas, manufacturing and other industries.

Enspec has been making businesses more profitable since 1998 when its sibling founders, fed up with the bureaucracy of larger organisations, decided to go it alone and set up a friendly, flexible engineering company.

Two decades on, the Enspec team is still a friendly bunch and one of the UK’s leading independent specialists in power quality engineering. The team really understands electrical power systems and is passionate about what it does and what’s happening in the wider world of technology.

Enspec is a progressive member of The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) with links to academia – so if the team don’t have the immediate answers, chances are they know someone that does.

You can find more about Enspec Power Limited at: https://www.enspecpower.com/

Press Contact

Chris Webb
Precision PR Limited
Sible Hedingham, Essex

M: 07432 189149

E: chris@precisionpr.co.uk

W: www.precisionpr.co.uk

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Double celebration for Enspec

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 15:20:41 +0000

Enspec stays safe during lock-down and celebrates with an honour for director David Jones

Power quality engineering specialists, Enspec Power Limited, today announced that David Jones, company director and joint founder of Enspec, has been made a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology for his contribution to the work of the IET in inspiring, informing and influencing the global engineering community to engineer a better world.

David Jones, Fellow of the IET and Director of Enspec Power Ltd

David’s many contributions to engineering include developing the company’s industrial energy-saving equipment and power quality solutions as well as developing safe working practices, such as those needed through the COVID-19 lock-down. He has been successfully co-running Enspec for over 20 years, and was the driving force behind Enspec’s initial development into equipment manufacturing. David (49), said; “This is a great honour which reflects the work ethic and innovation culture we’ve created at Enspec. Our philosophy has always been to help clients to improve their processes, to save them money and increase their profitability, which we can do as electrical engineers.”

That work ethic and culture allowed Enspec not only to protect the jobs of all its staff during lock-down, but to find new practices to deliver existing projects on time and even win new business. David continued; “We are involved in a number of major engineering projects that realistically couldn’t be paused, so we immediately had to develop new safe working practices. Much of our industry shut down for at least two months. Although we had to pause manufacturing for a few weeks while we made adjustments that met Government guidance, we were able to implement home working for management and engineering staff very quickly, which meant that we have been able to fulfil all our contractual commitments and retain all our staff.”

Enspec uses a cloud-based IT infrastructure that enabled an immediate switch to home working. A vehicle single occupancy travel policy further reduces cross-infection risks between staff. At the company’s manufacturing site in Washington, Tyne and Wear, Enspec has implemented hand sanitising stations, PPE and shifts, allowing for a prompt return to work – some manufacturing staff were furloughed for a short period while these changes were implemented.

David said; “As well as needing to find safe ways to continue working, we had staff whose partners work in frontline roles, so they needed support to be at home to care for their children. We also put in place processes to support staff who fell ill or were self-isolating, but I’m thankful that we’ve not needed to use them.” To date, none of Enspec’s staff have reported COVID-19 symptoms. And the new practices mean the company is able to continue with plans to recruit two new apprentices during the summer.

//-ends-//

Notes to Editors

About Enspec Power

You can find more about Enspec Power Limited at: https://www.enspecpower.com/

For more information about digital, traditional and hybrid PR campaigns, please contact us by email or call Chris on 07432 189149 (please leave a message if not immediately available)

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SEO Work for Shine Partnerships

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 10:54:03 +0000

How do you change the name of an established business?

When it comes to ‘The Web’, with surprising difficulty it seems. So Shine asked us to have a go.

Carlton Lodge – Shine Partnerships

The problem

Shine Partnerships Limited provides supported living to mental health service users across North London. It’s a successful business, growing on the back of an 11-year reputation for quality care and excellent facilities. And this year the company opened three new locations, providing support to 40 new service users.

Two of those locations were formerly owned and operated as residential care homes for the elderly by businesses that ceased trading and sold the premises. But they had been operating for several years and had made various half-hearted attempts to promote themselves on the web. The result is that there are several entries for both on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) register (and unfortunately, neither of them had glowing inspection reports). As a result, many other websites and specialist search engines included references to those locations.

The net result was that when Shine opened their new services at Carlton Lodge, Limes House and Maryland House, Google searches produced details for the businesses that used to own those premisses (Seaforth Lodge and Rose View Care Homes).

The solution

This is going to be a long process as there are so many 3rd-Party relationships involved. So far, we’ve carried out a number of Google searches on both business names to create a target list – not easy because the low search volumes mean these searches keep changing.

Limes House – Shine Partnerships

Top of the list in both cases is the CQC. Both houses produce the CQC registration details, and an archived entry for the last inspection report. Unfortunately, the CQC (though helpful on the ‘phone) won’t change those registration details on our say-so, so Shine’s CQC registered managers have to change that themselves. And the archived inspection report will keep showing at least until a new report is carried out – sometime during the next 5-years!

The first thing we could change is the ‘Google My Business’ panel that displays on the right. That includes verifying ownership of the entry. This is done by a code provided by Google, delivered in a number of ways;

Call the number registered in the existing entry (we couldn’t use this as the telephone numbers were changed to Shine’s head office)
Email the registered email (we couldn’t do this because that email belonged to the now-defunct former owner)
Google sends a postcard to the address with the code. This has to be entered into Google within 4-days of posting, but was our only option.

The thing is, Shine’s staff work shifts, so trying to make sure the person opening the mail knows what to do with the postcard is a stress point.

Once we had verified ownership, we were able to make changes and submit for Google’s review. Those changes have now started to appear and are there when a search for the service name is carried out. When a search for the old entry is made, a 2nd Google My Business box appears and suggests the new Shine service as an alternative.

Maryland House – Shine Partnerships Ltd

And what else?

The next thing to do was to contact all the specialist search engines and request changes. Many ‘phone calls and emails and online forms later, some of them have changed entries, some of them don’t seem to be in business anymore, and others take their information from the CQC or Google!

Two which we have been able to change though are Yell.Com and 192.com. It takes a while for those changes to be approved and indexed, but they are well-used sites, so their influence on search results is important.

Finally, we also …

It is also important to create some entries for the new properties so they can be found in a search under their own name. We created blog posts on Shine’s website for each new service. We also wrote a formal press release, distributing to mental health-focused magazines and website, and also North London local newspapers.

Stories about the new services will benefit from the higher volumes of searches enjoyed by these sites, and back-links to the original release on the Shine website.

Have we been successful?

Partially yes. And over time, the quality fo search results will improve as the CQC entries change, the 3rd-party specialist search engines update, and as the entries for 192.com and Yell.com index. Publications and websites that pick-up the press release will also produce helpful search results.

Meantime, just have to wait – change another bit – write another story – and repeat …

A Learning Point

If you are buying new business premises, make sure your solicitor checks that the old owner signs over ownership of the Google My Business account, and any other premises specific website entries to you. It will save you loads of work and loads of money down the line, and shouldn’t cost you a penny.

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ICO Registration Certificate

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Fri, 01 May 2020 09:22:57 +0000

ICO Registration Certificate

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Cary in the press

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 15:17:16 +0000

The world looks different from my ivory tower

Cary Cray Webb – recently published in the BDJ-Team magazine

Cary has been in the press again, this time writing for the BDJ-Team magazine about working in Special Care Dentistry and the switch from nursing to admin.

Her role is to manage referrals into a special care dentistry service. It’s a new service to Cambridge CDS (CCDS), allowing all the referrals for CCDS to be centralised and handled by one hub, and for the initial pre-assessment appointments to be made by one team.

Taking on a newly created role has meant facing the challenge of learning new IT systems, developing the procedures needed to run the service every day, and then teaching it all to two junior staff. I’m also responsible for advising people with problems accessing the service, dealing with complaints, and some telephone triage of my service and the minor oral surgery service.

You can find the full article at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41407-019-0209-0

Precision PR and Dentistry

We are a rare beast amongst PR agencies. Our directors have between them decades of PR experience, years of understanding digital and medical imaging technologies, and a genuine, up-to-date GDC Registration number! So if you want to work with a marketing agency that knows how to tell your dental technology story, better contact us by calling Chris on 07432 189149 or emailing cary@precisionpr.co.uk

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New website goes live for Shine Partnerships Ltd

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 16:10:23 +0000

www.shinepartnerships.co.uk created by Precision PR Limited

We’re truly proud to announce the launch of our latest client website project – www.shinepartnerships.co.uk

Manoj Mahtani – Owner/Chief Executive Officer

Shine Partnerships Limited specialises in providing high-quality [CQC Registered] supported living and floating support services for forensic and/or complex needs mental health service users. With 10 houses (and two more about to launch), Shine provides the care needed for tens of people in North London who have experienced mental health problems and are now returning to life in the community.

Designed and built by associate design consultant Dawn Li with project management by Chris Webb, the site also makes extensive use of photographs by the well-known corporate photographer Harry Chambers.

With 28 live pages, plus a news/blog page, this is the biggest single website project carried out so far by Precision. It incorporated 3 separate photoshoots across 10 locations – each requiring careful recording of photo permissions, etc.

The project took considerably longer than the two weeks first envisaged due to complex demands on the client’s diary. However, the results are visually stunning while maintaining a level of brand continuity from the previous (very out of date) site.

Objectives

The campaign objectives for the website are to:

help recruit staff
better and more clearly illustrate Shine’s services to service commissioners
maintain the existing brand investment and develop it further for future use

We also identified the need for simplified on-going maintenance to keep up with the businesses growth plans. And the ability to re-use assets across multiple channels of communication.

The key technical requirements included:

adaptive design for desktop, tablet and mobile
news/blog page for integration with future social media and content marketing campaigns
architecture and technology that allows the client’s staff (none of whom are marketing or IT professionals) to make minor updates and carry out simple maintenance

Built using WordPress with a custom template, the new site meets all three criteria. The final part of the project will be a short training session. This will demonstrate how to post news, make simple amendments and carry out software updates to plugins and other behind-the-scenes elements.

How can we help you?

If your website is in need of a refresh, please call us. We are particularly interested (and skilled at) developing sites for integrated marketing campaigns. We would love to talk to you about how we could do this for your business. Contact us by email or tel: 07432 189149

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A Crisis of Confidence

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 11:00:28 +0000

Fake instruments: are we sleepwalking into a scandal?

At the recent BDIA Showcase exhibition, I took the time to visit the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority), and I was frankly shocked. Not by their stand, nor the work they do in stamping out fake instruments. But by the sheer number of items they had seized at that very exhibition: 15,816 individual items from two stands, Retail Value £19,160.

It would appear that the Dental Industry is rife with counterfeit and uncertified instruments and materials. They can be bought quite easily on the internet, and even at professional conferences and trade shows.

Uncertified instruments pose a genuine safety threat to patients and staff alike.

What are we talking about?

There are several counterfeit issues in dentistry. The most serious can have potentially life-threatening consequences. Problems with fake drugs are the most obvious.

It’s very tempting to buy drugs from cheaper suppliers, and the internet makes it possible to find suppliers all over the world. However, if you buy from an uncertified supplier, do you really know what you’re getting? Do they contain the stated dose of the active ingredient? Are they made to the same standards as those from mainstream suppliers? Do they infringe on a patent or steal some other form of intellectual property?

Should you suffer an incident that involves fake drugs, how do you suppose a regulator might respond to you?

Exactly the same issue applies to cleaning and decontamination materials. Legitimate manufacturers and suppliers invest heavily in quality control to ensure their products perform to specification. But without that certification, do you know if those materials work? Can you be sure that they aren’t corrosive to your expensive equipment and instruments? Will they harm your patients, your nurse or even you?

But what prompted me to write this article was what is happening with fake instruments. I was shown a number of examples. Finger spreaders that were cheaply made with a plastic handle that could be pulled from the shaft. Curing lights with a power supply that posed a fire hazard. Ortho file systems that carried the logos, packaging and instruction leaflets of a quality brand, but which were clearly fake. And handpieces that were badly engineered and likely to fail unpredictably.

And worst of all? Fraud carried out by practices themselves by using out of date materials or previously opened batches that had not been resealed or stored correctly. Or deliberately buying fake instruments and unregulated drugs and materials to save money.

Dentists have a duty of care, and that extends to all members of staff and includes using approved and properly managed materials and equipment.

Why does it matter?

This is not the Wild-West. We have many regulations that govern dentistry, and they are there for a reason. Quite apart from failing to meet GDC and CQC standards when you use fake instruments and materials you are likely to be breaking the law and could face criminal charges (with all the consequences that follow).

Illegal whitening products can still be found on internet marketplaces, despite agreements by eBay and Amazon to ban them.

Pretty much every device sold in the UK should have a CE mark. CE marking is a certification mark that indicates conformity with health, safety, and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Economic Area. Without that mark, you shouldn’t be buying or using that device. This is particularly important in medicine and dentistry.

Should you have an incident involving a patient, using non-CE certified instruments could invalidate insurance policies, and would almost certainly provide grounds for sanctions from the CQC and the GDC. If you are using counterfeit instruments then there is also the possibility of a civil action by the owners of the trademark. And, of course, the MHRA could seize your dodgy instruments meaning you have a sudden and unexpected bill for legitimate replacements.

What are the regulators doing?

There are three regulators involved in this. I sent questions to the MHRA, who have been very helpful (see the question responses below). The CQC responded by pointing me to their website. The GDC failed to respond. You can draw your own conclusion and do your own risk assessment based on that information.

My information is that the CQC and GDC carry out a paper checking exercise during inspections. So long as you can show you are keeping records they are fine. They rarely carry out physical checks on the legitimacy of instruments or the storage and use of part batches. Nor do they frequently check the legitimacy of drugs.

However, all that could (and probably should) change overnight.

When will UDI come into effect?

The Unique Device Identification (UDI) is a system used to mark and identify medical devices within the healthcare supply chain.

The IMDRF (International Medical Device Regulator Forum), the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Commission are aiming for a globally harmonised and consistent approach to increase patient safety and help optimise patient care by proposing a harmonised legislation for Unique Device Identification (UDI), using global standards. And even if the UK leaves the EU, UDI will be implemented during the spring of 2020.

And when it is, dental practices will need to keep records of every UDI marked device. Ambitions for tracking and tracing are that patient treatment records will include details of what instruments and equipment were used during treatment.

And that means that the CQC and GDC box-ticking exercise will become much more complicated. And they will have a very simple method to verify the legitimacy of instruments and equipment.

You have been warned.

How can I ensure I’m not using fake instruments?

The MHRA website provides some very helpful information about ensuring the legitimacy of instruments, equipment and materials.

On top of that, you need to start thinking about improving your stock and instrument management. This has led to a whole new class of software appearing at dentistry shows, such as the Insightdental from Smart Dental Solutions.

But you also need to ensure that your practice management and administration staff understand the regulations around purchase and storage of drugs, materials and instruments. They have to avoid ordering in bulk to gain discounts if that material isn’t going to be used and stored within specification. They have to ensure they don’t fall foul of counterfeiters. And they have to buy from legitimate suppliers with a trackable supply chain back to the manufacturers of the basic ingredients and components.

The rules are there to protect patients, staff and practice owners. Step outside these rules and someone or something is at risk. And the risk that you will be caught and sanctioned, even if your infringement was accidental, will increase significantly next year.

One of the most dangerous items intended for dentistry and seized by the MHRA is a Portable Dental X-ray Machine BLX-5 – neither certified or even designed for use in the EU or UK.

What the MHRA says:

What do you consider the most dangerous items you found?
1. at the BDIA Showcase?
  1. Dental Handpieces with NO Notified Body EC Certification
2. ever in dentistry?
  1. Portable Dental X-ray Machine BLX-5
3. in any other field?
  1. Uncertified Medical laser machine
Will the new marking regulations make your life easier or just make it easier to secure convictions?
1. The ethos at MHRA is to secure compliance with safety regulations and the new regulations will make that easier to achieve.
Who should a practice manager contact if they think they have purchased counterfeit instruments or materials?
1. They may complete the online form at https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/counterfeit-products/ or they may anonymously send details of the suspect item including an explanation of why it is suspected of being counterfeit, picture of the label/packaging/sellers email and or address to devices.compliance@mhra.gov.uk we also have a 24-hour hotline for counterfeits at 020 3080 6701.
What penalties could a practice manager or owners face if they are found to have knowingly used counterfeit instruments or materials?
1. The MHRA does take action regarding the putting into service of illegal medical devices by professionals/dentists;
  1. where a dentist knowingly uses counterfeit instruments on a patient there are trading standards offences under the protection from unfair trading regulations
  2. a dental lab was prosecuted under these regulations for making dentures he was not licensed to
  3. additionally, MHRA provides witness testimony where a dental professional in charge of each dental practice can also be held responsible
2. Ultimately any monies made using illegal devices may be seized under the proceeds of crime.
Do you think this is organised crime run by a few ‘bad boys’ or lots of small players, some of whom might not realise exactly how dangerous this is?
1. Lots of the fake illegal dental equipment is supplied from abroad but a small amount is shipped from the UK
2. I do believe that it is run by a large operation abroad that counterfeits a large variety of products from different markets, not just the medical market.
What are the penalties for supplying counterfeit instruments and materials?
1. Under the Trademarks Act 1994 section 92, the penalty can be up to 10 years in prison.
What checks should purchasers perform to ensure they have approved instruments and materials?
1. Firstly I would recommend that they only buy from established distributors in the UK, as there will be little comeback against companies registered outside the EU.
2. There are several dental trade associations including the BDIA whose members are vetted.
3. To ascertain what classification and Certification products require is a specialist role

.

What Smart Dental Solutions say:

What ‘inspired’ you to create a stock control system for dental practices?
1. Mainly my own experience in running my practices. I got fed up of problems around stock control that I’m sure all practice owners have experienced. Things like running out of stock or ordering stock only to find out you are already holding that stock in the back of a cupboard somewhere and it’s now going out of date. I looked around for some solutions but found there was nothing out there that worked for me, so I made my own.
What features does your system have to;
1. Record batch/lot numbers
  1. There is the ability to record batch numbers/lot numbers under the description aspect of each stock item.
2. Instrument/material type approval
  1. Not a feature of my system
3. Material compliance (age, storage, etc)
  1. Our system allows you to enter expiry dates for each stock item. I mostly use it for expiry dates for emergency drugs.
How and why does your system link instruments and materials to patients?
1. Our system does not link instruments or materials to patients. It does, however, track stock from a stock room to individual surgeries.
Do you see stock control becoming a bigger issue for the CQC, and therefore practices?
1. Looking at the wider picture, I can see stock control of drugs and medication being an area that the CQC will start to look at. There is already talk around tracking instruments and materials to specific patients in secondary care and I can see this eventually being moved over into primary care. I do feel this is an area primary care will need to start to look at in the future.
Have you come across many instances in your career of counterfeit instruments or non-compliant materials?
1. Not generally in day to day practising life but I have seen an increase in patients ordering materials like bleaching gels from the internet and reporting adverse effects from this. Given the way the internet has enabled this, I believe this will be an increasing issue in the future.
Do you think practice managers and owners need to pay more attention to stock control and management?
1. Absolutely. For dental surgeries to run efficiently good stock control is essential. Most suppliers can deliver within 24-hours, thus holding unnecessary stock can mean surgery cash is tied up in stock rather than being used for investment.

.

More information about Insight Dental from Smart Dental Solutions can be found at: https://smartdentalsolutions.co.uk/

You can find the MHRA at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/medicines-and-healthcare-products-regulatory-agency

To contact Precision PR, please email chris@precisionpr.co.uk or call 07432 189149

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One couple’s day out in Birmingham – at the BDIA Showcase

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Sun, 20 Oct 2019 12:57:54 +0000

A review: BDIA Showcase, NEC, 17th-19th October

Apparently, people we know think we’re a bit weird. “What are you doing this weekend?” they ask. “We’re going to the BDIA Showcase at the NEC,” we reply. “Oh! Why?”

Why indeed? Including the trip to Colchester to drop our youngest son at his brother’s house for the day, the NEC is 156 miles from home. So it better be worthwhile as we’re investing a whole Saturday.

After Cary’s obligatory McDonald’s breakfast (amazing what she’ll agree to for one of these) and a stop off at the surprisingly pleasant M6 Corley services, we hit a bum note.

We arrived at the NEC as planned just after 11:00 am. And it seems that the entire UK caravan and motorhome community chose the self-same time to visit their trade show. A queue to get onto the site, queues for the carparks, queues for the transfer bus. Not a good start to the day.

We finally made it into the building just before noon, and dodged the bag search. NEC, please take note – Security didn’t have their A-team on duty. It was then an easy walk to Hall 3. The bus driver had announced Hall 5, but he wasn’t part of the A-team either.

Bags we collected at the BDIA Showcase (but NOT at the entrance). We think one is cool, one is ‘hot’, and the other we would be very happy to quote for new artwork.

First impressions

Registration was in the hall entrance. This is a good thing as you don’t have to wander around the atrium trying to work out how to register and get in. Note – the A-team weren’t issuing the passes, but it was such a simple process they couldn’t muck it up too badly.

Walking in, the walkways were clear, straight and wide, decorated with a pleasant cerise carpet. BUT no pre-made packs, no goody bags, and the show guides seemed hidden (we found ours on the way out!).

Plenty of space for the ‘crowds’

Crowds

‘Crowd’ might be a bit of an exaggeration. We spoke to several exhibitors who said Saturday was the busiest day, but it certainly wasn’t what you’d describe as crowded. One said he thought seriously about pulling out of Saturday as Thursday and Friday had been so quiet. Others thought Thursday had been acceptably busy, but that Friday was a write-off.

Halls 3 & 3a are not the biggest halls at the NEC, and it was difficult to see how much had been occupied by the show. There were several theatres which were large, and these made it difficult to see how much space was used. We certainly don’t think the halls were fully utilised. That said, the back of the exhibition was very close to the back doors.

Exciting new things!

Well, more like one exciting new thing. 3D-Printing is about to come of age in dentistry. We spoke to a couple of suppliers of 3D-Printing kit who told us that a number of processes and materials have been approved by the FDA for use in the United States. Certification is currently underway in Europe, and once complete, 3D-Printing will be available to both laboratories and dentists for making appliances such as dentures and clear aligners.

Beyond that, there wasn’t anything particularly exciting to shout about.

We only found Dentally, SFD & SOE out of the PMS suppliers

Things that were missing

Carestream! Not a sign of them. They were completely absent. So were all the practice management software vendors apart from Software of Excellence, Dentally and Systems for Dentists. If anyone else was there we couldn’t find them – which amounts to the same thing (only more expensive).

Several of the big kit suppliers were also missing, though several others were exhibiting (Planmecca, Durr, Belmont, Acteon, etc).

Nobody had ‘stupid’ attention-seeking stands either – certainly no scantily clad Santas or inexplicable ‘dwarfs’.

The MOD recruitment stand was empty too, which was a shame as we wanted to talk to them. Right at the back of the show, they probably gave up after the poor audience on Thursday and Friday.

SFD’s goody bag – we think they’ve read what we have to say about branding your exhibition investment

Conclusion

We went to the BDIA Showcase last year at the London Excel, and we thought that was a great show. This wasn’t. The audience was poor, and exhibitors were relatively thin on the ground.

Did we achieve our aims? Yes. We met the two organisations we had planned meetings with and our discussions will progress. The fact that the crowds were so thin on the ground probably helped. We also had a chat with a few other interesting organisations. But if we had been going for some other purpose I don’t know that we would have thought the show a success.

Shows rise and fall in a complex cycle. Each grows through investment, success and rinsing phases.

In the investment stage, the organiser goes above and beyond to create a ‘show brand’.
In the success phase, they deliver on their promises – audience, promotion, value.
In the rinsing stage, they believe the brand is self-supporting – pricing creeps up, promotion slows down and value plummets.

SOE Piggy Banks – the cutest give-away we found

The BDIA showcase at the NEC is in serious danger of moving into the rinsing phase. I would recommend to the organisers (and to exhibitors) to ignore the NEC and focus on London Excel.

A note to all organisers

Dentists earn money by seeing patients. Some of them earn A LOT of money. If you want them to give up money to attend, better make it worth their while and tell them WHY they should be there. The same applies to persuading them to send their staff during the week. And also the staff themselves if you want them to attend on a Saturday.

Likewise, picking a date during a major religious festival (Diwali) celebrated by a significant part of your target audience is dim.

Some parts of the BDIA Showcase were busy

Are exhibitions in fashion?

Outside of the efforts of individual shows, exhibitions as a whole go through a success cycle.

We’re not entirely sure where they are in the UK. Some shows are succeeding, some aren’t. They are definitely doing well in consumer markets – B2B is more of a mixed bag.

On the continent, European mega-shows in Holland, Belgium and Germany look like they are maintaining their popularity and value.

But what do you do if you are focused on the UK market? If you’re not a European-wide brand, the pan-continental mega-shows are just too expensive, and the audience too disparate.

1st class (Hons) in Fine Art (ceramics and sculpture), but 4:58 to complete a child’s puzzle – Cary on the stand of of Morris & Co (specialist dental accountants)

Our advice

We continue to recommend that dental businesses exhibit. However, we would suggest that the London Dentistry Show and BDIA Showcase in London are better exhibitions than BDIA Showcase at the NEC.

The organisers of the Dentistry Show at the NEC during the spring have assured us that they are taking action to correct the deficiencies of this year’s show, and that may well make it a recommendable show next year.

But at the moment, we recommend using your exhibition budget to also create your own smaller events. More effort – possibly. More manpower needed – definitely. But success will be due to YOUR marketing efforts, and focus will be on YOU.

So what do you think?

If you attended or exhibited at the BDIA Showcase at the NEC, we would love to hear your views. Contact us at cary@precisionpr.co.uk or call Chris on 07432 189149.

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