British Dental Association Pushes For Reforms To NHS Dentistry

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 20 Feb 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Dr Susie Sanderson, Chair of the British Dental Association's (BDA) Executive Board, will take the BDA's campaign for changes to the 2006 NHS dentistry reforms to the heart of government this week. She is scheduled to appear before the influential Health Select Committee on Thursday when she will explain that it is time to address the flaws in the new dental contract.

The BDA has campaigned for significant changes to the reforms. These include scrapping Units of Dental Activity as the sole method of evaluating dentists' activity, paying commissioning funds to primary care trusts (PCTs) net of patient charge revenue to give them greater certainty about their budgets and allowing dentists to transfer NHS contracts to provide continuity of care in the case of a dentist retiring.

Dr Sanderson said:
"It is clear that the dental reforms of 2006 have created problems for dentists and patients alike. This inquiry presents a real chance to look at those problems, consider the impact of the contract and look for positive solutions to improve the situation.

"Those solutions need to put patients, rather than targets, at the heart of NHS dentistry."

Dr Sanderson is scheduled to give oral evidence to the Health Select Committee inquiry into NHS Dental Services in the Wilson Room of Portcullis House at 11am. The British Dental Association's written submission of evidence to the inquiry is available to view here.

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.

British Dental Association