A scheme meant to spice up entry to NHS dentists underneath the final authorities seems to have “comprehensively failed”, MPs have stated
Launched in February final yr by Conservative well being ministers, the Dental Restoration Plan promised to introduce 1.5 million new therapies for sufferers and supplied dentists a “bonus” to take NHS sufferers.
In response to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the scheme seems to have “resulted in worsening the picture” greater than a yr later.
Beneath the Dental Restoration Plan, practices have been supplied a brand new affected person premium (NPP) – which the PAC discovered price not less than £88m because it was launched and resulted in 3% fewer new sufferers seeing an NHS dentist.
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From 2024: Dentists to be supplied incentives
The plan’s “golden hello” recruitment scheme had additionally been discovered to have appointed fewer than 20% of the anticipated 240 dentists by February this yr.
Their report, printed at this time, additionally stated susceptible sufferers “continue to suffer the most” and that the dental contract “remains unfit for purpose”.
Present preparations are solely ample for about half of England’s inhabitants to see an NHS dentist over two years, it added.
The PAC report additionally stated “it does not appear” that NHS England or the Division of Well being and Social Care “have a sense of what level of funding would provide a realistic incentive for dentists to prioritise NHS work”.
‘NHS dentistry is damaged’
PAC chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown stated: “It is utterly disgraceful that, in the 21st century, some Britons have been forced to remove their own teeth.
“Final yr’s Dental Restoration Plan was supposed to handle these issues, one thing our report has discovered it has signally did not do.
“Almost unbelievably, the government’s initiatives appear to have actually resulted in worsening the picture, with fewer new patients seen since the plan’s introduction.”
He added: “NHS dentistry is broken. The government could hardly fail to agree on this point, and indeed I am glad that it is not in denial that the time for tinkering at the edges is over.
“It’s time for large selections.”
A Division of Well being and Social Care spokesperson stated the Labour authorities “inherited a broken NHS dental sector” and was fixing it via its Plan for Change.
It stated that in February, it had delivered on its manifesto pledge by rolling out 700,000 further pressing appointments and pledged to introduce a brand new supervised toothbrushing scheme for 3 to five-year-olds.
