Fee increase will do nothing to improve access to NHS dentistry, UK

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 03 Mar 2005 - 14:00 PDT

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Responding to the UK Government's announcement of a 3.4 per cent increase in dental fees paid to dentists for NHS work, the British Dental Association warned that the measure would do nothing to improve access to NHS dentistry.

Lester Ellman, Chair of the BDA's General Dental Practice Committee, said:

"Every day we read stories about people struggling to find an NHS dentist and today's announcement will do nothing to tackle this crisis. Indeed, the independent pay review body itself has said it is not sure that the amount of money being put into NHS dentistry will be enough to save it.

"The costs of running a practice, which dentists pay for themselves, are rising quickly but this is totally ignored. Dentists desperately want to invest in better facilities and care for patients, and this is one of the main reasons why they leave the NHS. "

The Government announced today that it accepted the recommendations of the Doctors and Dentists Review Body, announcing a 3.4 per cent increase in the fees it pays to dentists for NHS work. But in its report, the Review Body questioned whether the funding which had already been announced for NHS dentistry would prove sufficient to improve access for patients and encourage dentists to return to the NHS.

In its submission to the Review Body, the BDA presented evidence in support of a claim for at least a 3.8 per cent increase in fees and suggested the introduction of a practice allowance in England and Wales to help compensate practice owners for some of their capital investment, commercial risk and the extra administrative burden they undertake. A similar allowance, of £4.5k per annum, is already paid to practices in Scotland. Today's announcement ignores the BDA's claim.

Salaried dentists working in primary care will receive a 3.225 per cent salary increase as the last year of a three-year pay deal.

Ends

Notes to editors

1. The BDA's evidence to the Review Body is available at:
bda.org/about/committees.cfm?ContentID=949 .

2. Funding for the NHS, excluding spending on the General Dental Service, in England has increased by 41 per cent since 2000/1. Funding for NHS dentistry has only increased by 13 per cent in the same period.

3. 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.

4. For further information, please contact the BDA's media team on 020 7563 4145/6.

This is a press release from the British Dental Association

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