Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 11
21st Report - Fixing NHS Dentistry
Published 4 Apr 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Fixing NHS Dentistry All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
DHSC told us that it believed that those reforms “made a useful difference” and were a “step in the right direction”.21 We note, however, that the NAO report found that it saw no evidence of a full evaluation of these reforms.22 NHSE said that it recognised since the 2022 reforms that further reform is “absolutely fundamental”.23 The new government has also committed to contract reform.24 Given the length of time in which the dental contract has been identified as a barrier to improving NHS dental access, we pressed DHSC and NHSE on when they could deliver this. DHSC said that it is not possible to give a timeframe, but that some reform is “fairly imminent”, and that it could look to provide a timeframe on what can be done within the current framework, while beyond that much rests with political decisions.25 In written evidence following our session, NHSE and DHSC told us that they are working with representatives of the dental sector and patient groups to “fully consider the options at pace”, and that while these fundamental reforms are being developed work is ongoing on medium–term changes to improve the current NHS dental contract.26
From: Public Accounts Committee, 21st Report - Fixing NHS Dentistry (HC 648), 4 April 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-first Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026.
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-first report from Session 2024-26
Published 18 September 2025.
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-first report from Session 2024-25
Published 10 July 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it "agrees with the Committee's recommendation" on each recommendation set out in the response, giving target dates for several actions and noting that dental contract reform "will take time".
- On contract reform, a realistic timetable for a new contract "will be determined by the scale of changes under consideration and following consultation". Amendments to the current contract would be expected in 2026-27, "subject to consultation and any necessary regulatory changes".
- On the dental recovery plan, NHSE is to write to the Committee in Autumn 2025 with its analysis of the main initiatives. Dental vans are excluded because the government "decided not to implement a national programme of mobile dental vans".
- On funding for 2025-26, NHSE "would also note that there has been no reduction in dental funding", and says the ringfence rises from £3,974 million to £4,104 million and is extended into 2026-27.
- On the workforce, the department will "carefully consider the outcome of the consultation" on a graduate "tie-in" and then publish its response, with a target date of Winter 2025.