Conclusion 6

Without a workforce sufficiently supported to deliver NHS dental care, there will be no future for NHS dentistry and DHSC and NHSE have not yet done enough to address workforce issues. The total number of dentists delivering some NHS dental care is in decline and NHSE data showed that in March 2024 there were over 5,500 vacancies across the NHS dental profession with many of these going unfilled for over 180 days. Whether the issue is a lack of dental professionals altogether, or a lack of dental professionals willing to take on NHS work, it is clear that there 6 is a need to go further on efforts to support the dental workforce. This is particularly true for deprived, rural and coastal parts of the country where challenges in attracting dentists to work are particularly acute. The dental recovery plan included some measures to address this challenge, such as a consultation for a dental graduate “tie–in” to the NHS, expanding training places and helping patients access care from a variety of dental professionals. The results of the consultation on the dental graduate tie–in is still outstanding, and work by DHSC on the other measures is ongoing. The success of these measures will depend on buy–in from all members of the dental team, and a clear sense from DHSC and NHSE of what the barriers are to attracting professionals to NHS work. recommendation DHSC must: a. publish its response to the consultation on a dental graduate “tie–in”; and b. set out what more the department and NHSE intend to do to address obstacles to attracting dental professionals to carry out NHS work and close the gap between it and private work. This response must include detail on what further work is planned on skills mix and ensuring that dental practices make best use of all members of the wider dental team. This should include an explanation of how all dental professional groups will be consulted on future reforms. 7 1 Contractual reform and the 2024 dental recovery plan Introduction