2.73 per cent uplift for Northern Ireland GDPs approved

The uplift for contractor general dental practitioners for 2018/19 will see the DDRB recommendation of two per cent net of expenses being applied, equating to an actual uplift of 2.73 per cent backdated to April 1, 2018. According to Department of Health, this represents a total investment of £2.9 million in regional dental services.

Chair of the BDA Northern Ireland Dental Practice Committee, Richard Graham, commented, “We acknowledge that this year’s 2.73 per cent uplift to fees and allowances represents the largest uplift GDPs have seen for some time. However, this in a context of successive years of wholly inadequate uplifts of one per cent pay caps, no uplifts, active cuts, and at a time when the cost of providing Health Service dentistry has increased significantly. 

“The delay in getting to this point, whereby our pay uplift for 18/19 has occurred in the next financial year, is also a major cause for concern to us, and something we have highlighted to the Department. Excessive delay is detrimental to practice cashflows, and undermines the ability to engage in sound financial planning.