Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Deferred
Dental recovery plan failing to deliver expected treatments, with initiatives showing poor progress
Conclusion
The NAO’s report found that the plan was not on track to deliver the expected number of additional courses of treatment.37 When the report was published in November 2024: • fewer new patients had been treated under the NPP than in the equivalent period in the previous year; • no data was available on the UDA uplift; 38 • only one ‘golden hello’ dentist had been appointed; and • mobile dental vans had been abandoned as a national initiative and left for local commissioners to procure if they wished to.39 32 DHSC, Consultation outcome: consultation on community water fluoridation expansion in the north east of England: government response, published 7 March 2025 33 Q 17 34 C&AG’s Report, Figure 10 35 C&AG’s Report, para 13 36 C&AG’s Report, para 2 37 C&AG’s Report, para 16 38 C&AG’s Report, para 16 39 C&AG’s Report, Figure 11 12
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the NAO's findings on the dental recovery plan's lack of progress. NHSE is now analysing the impact of the New Patient Premium, Golden Hellos, and UDA uplift initiatives, with analysis expected by Autumn 2025. Mobile dental vans were not implemented nationally.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2025 2.2 NHSE is carrying out analysis of the main initiatives which were planned to result in additional appointments being delivered: the New Patient Premium, Golden Hellos and the uplift to the minimum Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) rate. The government decided not to implement a national programme of mobile dental vans and so this will not be included in this analysis. The impact of these 3 initiatives will be assessed using changes in activity claims and UDAs delivered. In line with NHSE’s regular data collection process and usual reporting timelines for dental contractors to submit returns, NHSE expects all data for 2024-25 to have been collected by end of July 2025. NHSE will then be in a position to run further analysis and provide a detailed breakdown for each of the initiatives individually. This should be completed by end of August 2025 and NHSE will write to the Committee in the Autumn to set out the results of this analysis. 2.3 In addition to this analysis, NHSE has carried out focus groups with stakeholders to understand their views on the New Patient Premium and will also undertake an evaluation of the Golden Hello scheme, due to be completed and shared with ministers by Summer 2025. This will be published alongside the main evaluation in Autumn 2025. 2.4 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2025 2.5 NHSE will carry out analysis of how many additional appointments were delivered by the 3 main initiatives in the dental recovery plan as set out in response to recommendation 2a. The government decided not to implement a national programme of mobile dental vans and so this will not be included in the analysis. 2.6 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2025 2.7 Due to the two-month window for activity claims to be submitted by dental contractors, the data necessary to provide this confirmation will be available from Summer 2025. Factoring in time for analysis of this data NHSE would expect to be able to report on the impact of the individual initiatives by Autumn 2025.