NHS Dental Budgets Under Pressure, UK

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 25 Aug 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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Figures published recently provide further evidence of the problems facing the Government's dental reforms, the British Dental Association (BDA) believes. According to today's figures patient charge revenue only generated £475 million instead of the expected £634 million,* resulting in a shortfall of £159 million in the dental budget.

The statistics show that 12 months after the introduction of the new contract in England some primary care trusts (PCTs) are struggling to fund dental treatments as the patient charge shortfall equates to just over £1million per PCT.

Under the new contract, PCTs are responsible for commissioning NHS dental services but the BDA is concerned that around a quarter of the dental budgets they hold rely on revenue from patients charges.

The BDA Chief Executive Peter Ward said:

"Today's figures underline serious flaws in the government's new system for providing NHS dentistry. We're concerned that dental patients will lose out as PCTs face this further squeeze on their budgets. We believe that PCTs should receive their dental budgets in full to end this precarious situation.

"This all adds to continuing, and unacceptable, uncertainty for NHS dentistry."

1. The NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006/7 was published on 23 August. Full details are available at: http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/dental_contracts/

2. A report published by the King's Fund shows that 22% of PCTs are in deficit. http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/briefings/nhs_finances.html

3. *Hansard:25 Apr 2007: Column 1196. This shows that indicative patient charge income to be £634 million . Please click here

4. The British Dental Association (BDA) is the professional association for dentists in the UK. It represents over 20,000 dentists working in general practice, in community and hospital settings, in academia and research, and in the armed forces.

http://www.bda.org