Today sees the government launch its new dental premium which will reward dentists with extra cash for seeing new patients.
Depending on the complexity of care delivered, participating practices will be eligible for either £15 or £50 for every patient they see who had not previously been treated in the last two years.
The government views this as a way of improving the care of those who do not have an existing relationship with a dental practice.
Survey data has shown that patients who are already known to an NHS dental practice have an 83% success rate in accessing care – this drops to just 33% for those who are not known to the NHS.
The launch of the new cash incentive closely follows the government and NHS public consultation on new powers for the General Dental Council (GDC).
Under the proposed plan, the GDC would be able to provisionally register dentists who have been trained overseas, allowing them to join the NHS workforce sooner and treat patients faster.
Approximately 30% of all dentists on the GDC’s register qualified abroad.
NHS England’s national primary care director, Dr Amanda Doyle, described this latest move as an “important step” in the reform and recovery of NHS dentistry.
“This scheme is good for patients and good for dentists,” added the health secretary, Victoria Atkins.
She said: “It’s all part of our plan to put NHS dentistry on a sustainable footing for the long-term and ensure that good oral health is a reality for everyone.”
Louise Ansari, Healthwatch England’s chief executive, emphasised the need for the NHS to make it easy for patients to understand which dentists are offering the new appointments.
Ansari explained: “NHS commissioners of dental services should also promote these new appointments to people who have struggled to access care in recent years, especially those on lower incomes, women, and some ethnic minority patients.”
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