PCTs Should Take More Flexible Approach To Monitoring New Dental Contracts, Advises The Department Of Health, UK

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 08 Apr 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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PCTs (Primary Care Trusts) should take more flexible approach to monitoring new dental contracts, advises the Department of Health.

The controversial currency of the new dentistry contract - units of dental activity - should not be the only way to monitor NHS dental services, the Department of Health has told primary care trusts.

The new advice to PCTs issued this week follows pressure from the British Dental Association to scrap the current target-driven approach based solely on the number of UDAs achieved by dentists.

Speaking at today's BDA conference to mark the first anniversary of the new contract, Chief Dental Officer for England Dr Barry Cockcroft said that UDAs should be part of a 'basket of indicators'.

The conference was told the letter to PCTs states:

"It is worth stressing that, although units of dental activity are the main contract currency of General Dental Services (GDS) contracts and Personal Dental Services (PDS) agreements, they are only one of a range of indicators that PCTs may wish to use to monitor and manage dental services. Units of dental activity (which are a weighted measure of courses of treatment) are a useful way of monitoring and comparing service levels, provided they are part of a basket of indicators that capture oral health, access, quality and patient experience."

The letter also says UDAs should not be used to manage dental care delivered by salaried primary dental care services.

In her speech to the conference, Susie Sanderson, Chair of the BDA Executive Board, said:

"It is essential that this appeal to PCTs for greater flexibility is reflected in the Regulations which underpin the new arrangements. The reality of financial pressures faced by PCTs means a discretion to be flexible is simply not enough to ensure it happens.

"The Chief Dental Officer appears to have listened to the BDA and accepted the principle of a range of indicators. The big issue now concerns the nature of these new measures.

"It is imperative that the profession is consulted on any new indicators and that they are properly evaluated as methods of monitoring. Primary Care Trusts must also receive the right support and funding to ensure this new approach works."

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.

www.bda.org

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