Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 23
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)
The dental recovery plan’s four main initiatives were centrally planned by NHSE and DHSC with instructions given to commissioners as to how to carry them out.65 The plan’s delivery, therefore, was heavily reliant on ICBs implementing these initiatives at a local level and delivery by dental practices. The NAO’s report notes that ICB’s had “mixed experiences” of engaging with NHSE and DHSC, and that while some met with the national team to discuss local initiatives and any overlap with the proposed national schemes, these were not always fully taken into account.66 Given the failure of the plan to deliver any increase in activity, it seems clear that these nationally–planned initiatives failed to influence behaviour at a local level, although NHSE told us that they have seen feedback that the initiatives were 60 Q 3; C&AG’s Report, para 2.9 and 2.12 61 Health and Social Care Committee evidence session on 19 March 2024, NHS dentistry, see Q186 62 C&AG’s Report, para 1.5 63 NHSE, Opportunities for flexible commissioning in primary care dentistry: A framework for commissioners, published October 2023 64 C&AG’s Report, para 2.11 65 DHSC, Faster, simpler and fairer: our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry, published 7 February 2024 66 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.11, 2.15 15 welcomed.67 The NAO’s report notes that there was some flexibility at a local level, for example where the new patient premium potentially overlapped with existing local schemes, and that regions were taking different approaches to implementing the ‘golden hello’ incentive payments.68
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.