Is there to be NHS Dental reform?

The current NHS contract has been around for 16 years. We were promised an update in 2013 but it never came. We have seen pilot and prototype contracts tried out and fail.

What now for NHS dentistry in England?

The healthcare team at Nexa Law are seeing a departure from what was, pre-pandemic, a guaranteed income from the NHS contract to private practice.

The current UDA system is no longer fit for purpose and practitioners are tired of being beholden to producing numbers of treatments rather than high quality dentistry.

The goodwill in an NHS contract is no longer seen as valuable as it was to many dentists and some are quite happy to hand the contract back.

Whilst some dentists still remain committed to the NHS, recruiting associates who want a career in it is becoming increasingly difficult.

The same applies to dental nurses. Recruiting experienced nurses into the NHS is no longer as easy as it once was. Consequently, costs are rising and the profit margins within the NHS are restrictive.

These together are driving dentists out of the NHS and into the private sector where the pressures of UDAs are an irrelevance enabling high quality preventative dentistry to take the place of conveyor belt NHS work.

The cost-of-living crisis is a political hot potato affecting all areas of business. If a practice surrenders its NHS contract that might enable the Area Team to redistribute funding and increase accessibility to NHS dentists, many of whom are unable to take on new patients currently.

Some element of dentistry will need to remain in the NHS. There is talk of a hybrid system as a half-way house between the system we currently have and one which is 100% private.

Many practitioners believe dentistry to be the “poor relation” of the NHS. Changes are coming but as yet the uncertainty is not allowing them to plan for the future.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. 

If you found value in it, please like and share. 

To book a consultation to discuss your needs, click here.

For further information on how we can help you and the dental lawyer services we offer.

Thanks once again, 

Jonathan