Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 72
Introduce urgent incentives to attract and retain dentists for NHS work.
Recommendation
Any contract reform now will almost certainly be too late for those dentists who have already left the NHS or are considering doing so in the near future. The Government must urgently introduce incentives to attract and retain dentists to undertake NHS work. These should include, but not be limited to, the reintroduction of NHS commitment payments, incentive payments for audit and peer review, and the introduction of late career retention payments. The development of a careers framework should be considered, including on-going education, supervision and support. This should form part of a wider package, accompanied by a communications drive, to entice professionals to return to NHS dentistry.
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts the recommendation, rejecting some specific incentives listed but committing to explore other measures, such as a tie-in for new graduates. It also agrees with the importance of a sustainable careers framework and is working with NHSE to develop a career pathway for dental professionals.
Paragraph Reference:
72
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
Partially accept The Department partially accepts this recommendation. While we want to encourage all professionals to commit more of their time to NHS work, and to work in areas of the country with low provision of NHS dental care, we do not plan to introduce all of the specific incentives listed in the Committee’s recommendation. Our package of dental system improvements announced in July 2022 means dentists are more fairly rewarded for the NHS care that they deliver. The Government has also accepted and implemented the recommendations of the Independent Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) for 2023/24. Following consultation with the sector, the Government implemented the DDRB recommendation through a 5.13% uplift to the value of NHS dental contracts (net of 6% for pay elements and 3.23% for non-pay (expenses) elements). In October 2023 NHSE published guidance for ICBs on ‘Flexible Commissioning’ to provide ICBs with an outline of the legal requirements of the national dental contractual framework and to highlight the key considerations associated with procuring additional and further services. We have already seen examples of ICBs using their flexible commissioning powers to implement local initiatives such as recruitment and retention incentives, and remuneration incentives. On a national scale, as signalled in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan earlier this year, the NHS and the Government will also explore incentives and measures such as a tie-in, to encourage dentists to spend a greater proportion of their time delivering NHS dental care in the years following the completion of undergraduate training. We agree with the Committee that a sustainable and supportive careers framework for NHS dentistry professionals is important. The Department has been working with NHSE to implement the Advancing Dental Care review and to develop a career pathway to support lifelong learning. This includes the use of the apprenticeship model offer to diversify and grow a multi-professional dental workforce that responds to skills needed in England, as well as helping to advance careers by enabling more staff to achieve enhanced and advanced practice roles.