Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 30
30
Deferred
Decline in NHS dental provision results from dentists choosing private work
Conclusion
NHSE, acknowledging these numbers, said that there has to be an acceptance that we need to train more dentists.89 DHSC, whilst not disagreeing with that assessment, told us that this is not the whole story 81 Q 27 82 Q 62 83 FND0005, page 1; FN0007, page 2 84 C&AG’s Report, Figure 1 85 FND0005, page 2 86 Qq 37–40 87 C&AG’s Report, para 1.19 88 NHS England, Dental workforce statistics, March 2024 89 Q 34 18 because the overall number of dentists has actually gone up; it is the number who are delivering NHS work that has gone down.90 Survey data from the General Dental Council shows that of the 34,520 dentists registered with them in April 2023, 22% reported in December 2023 that they were not providing any NHS dental care, and were only providing private dental care.91
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the observation regarding dentists not delivering NHS work and states that incentivising NHS work and retention is part of its dental contract reform, which is underway but will take time. It plans to consider interim improvements and will address the issue in upcoming publications, including a 10 Year Health Plan (Summer 2025) and a refreshed long-term workforce plan.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
6.5 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 6.6 Incentivising dentists to carry out more NHS work and improving the retention of NHS dentists is a key part of the government’s ambition to reform the dental contract. This work is underway but will take time. 6.7 Whilst the new dental contract is developed, the government will consider making improvements to the current system to increase access and incentivise the workforce to deliver more NHS care. These proposals could include changes which encourage greater use of the wider dental team to improve the quality of their care. The department will work with the sector to develop these changes, subject to ministerial agreement. 6.8 The government intends to incentivise NHS dentistry to make it an attractive workplace. To reform the NHS and make it fit for the future, the government has launched a 10 Year Health Plan. The government is listening to and co-designing the plan with the public and health staff. A central part of the 10 Year Health Plan will be the workforce and ensuring that the NHS has the staff it needs to care for patients. This will be published in Summer 2025. 6.9 The government will publish a refreshed long term workforce plan to deliver a transformed health service over the next decade and treat patients on time again. The government will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it. This includes consideration of all dental professionals within the dental team. The department intends to write to the Committee shortly with an update on the long-term workforce plan.