Make or break time for NHS dentistry, says BDA

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 28 Nov 2004 - 13:00 PDT

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The British Dental Association today concurred with the view of a new report that it's make or break time for NHS dentistry. The report, published today by the National Audit Office, confirms what the BDA has been telling the Government for some time: that NHS dentistry is at crisis point and botched changes may well push it over the edge.

Next October, NHS dentistry will undergo its first major change since the NHS was set up in 1948. However, despite the desperate need for change, there are concerns within both the dental profession and patient groups that this overhaul may be blighted by under-funding and insufficient capacity within the primary care trusts charged with overseeing dentistry.

Ian Wylie, Chief Executive of the British Dental Association, said of the report's findings:

"This report will not make easy reading for the Department of Health. The BDA has consistently warned the Government that it needs to get these changes right first time if it is not to lose what little confidence the dental profession has left in NHS dentistry. Our own research earlier this year found that only one in ten dentists believed their PCT could cope with their new responsibilities. With less than a year to go until implementation, and still without a draft contract, it's no wonder that many dentists are seriously considering whether or not their future lies within the NHS."

Edward Leigh, chairman of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee to whom the NAO reports, has called on the Department of Health to "step up its efforts now" to reassure both dentists and patients. Unless they do, the BDA strongly believes that it will be the Department of Health - not dentists - walking away from NHS dentistry.

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. The National Audit Office report, Reforming NHS Dentistry: Ensuring effective management of risks, was published today. The NAO scrutinises public spending by government departments and other public bodies on behalf of Parliament and is independent of the Government.

2. The British Dental Association is the professional association and trade union for dentists in the UK, representing around 20,000 dentists working in general practice, hospitals, research, community dentistry and the armed forces.

3. For further information, or to arrange an interview with a BDA spokesperson, please contact the BDA Media Team on 020 7563 4146.
http://www.bda-dentistry.org.uk/

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