Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Deferred
NHS England committed to fundamentally reforming the existing dental contract.
Conclusion
In our evidence session we asked NHSE if it would be better to rip up the NHS dental contract and start again, following a consultation with dentists to establish what their requirements are from a new system. NHSE’s response was “that is exactly what we are going to do”,10 and it also accepted that the current contract is no longer fit for purpose.11 In later correspondence 4 C&AG’s Report, paras 1.7, 1.9, 1.27 5 C&AG’s Report, para 1 6 Qq 12, 13 and 81 7 C&AG’s Report, para 11 8 House of Commons Library, NHS dentistry in England (Research briefing), published 29 May 2024. See page 22 9 NHS, NHS dental services in England: An independent review by Professor Jimmy Steele, published June 2009. See page 27 10 Q 32 11 Q 12 9 NHSE reiterated its commitment to fundamentally reforming the dental contract, said it was progressing discussions with ministers on the options, and added that it recognised the “urgency of the situation”.12
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the observation regarding the need to reform the dental contract. It states that work is underway to reform the contract with a focus on prevention and retention, but a realistic timetable will be determined after careful consideration and public consultation, given the complexity and risks involved.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: to be advised 1.2 To rebuild dentistry in the long term, work on the government’s ambition to reform the dental contract with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists is underway. There are no perfect payment models and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that genuine improvements for patients and the profession can be delivered. There are risks of destabilising the current 20 system, and a realistic timetable for the introduction of a new contract will be determined by the scale of changes under consideration and following consultation. 1.3 The government is continuing to work with the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector to deliver the shared ambition to improve access to treatments for NHS dental patients, whilst at the same time, considering what other improvements can be made to incentivise the workforce to deliver more NHS care. The government recognises the importance of working with the wide range of dental care professionals, commissioners and importantly, patients and the public, to inform a new and improved dental contract for England, upon which the government expects to consult publicly.