The British Dental Association (BDA) has criticised moves in the Autumn Statement that could withdraw free dental care from the long-term sick while offering no additional resources to support the rebuild of NHS dentistry.
The professional body believes the threat of withdrawing access to free NHS dentistry from those not actively seeking work will inevitably hit vulnerable patients with higher needs the hardest. Heavily briefed, dental care is thought to be among the “additional benefits” set to be lost alongside free prescriptions and legal aid.
The BDA believes the move may prove to be a repeat of the heavy-handed and ineffective approach taken to NHS fraud, which saw over £180m in fines issued to innocent patients for ‘misclaiming’ free care that they were fully entitled to.
A recovery plan for NHS dentistry was pledged by the government in April 2023 but remains undelivered. The BDA believes that the lack of any dedicated funding in the statement suggests that when this plan is finally published, it may lack the resources to make headway on the current access crisis or halt the exodus of dentists.
As part of its inquiry into dentistry, the Health and Social Care Committee stressed any plan must have “the scope and ambition required to immediately address the crisis of access people across the country are experiencing. This should be accompanied by the necessary funding and a plan for swift implementation.”
The service’s budget has remained effectively static since 2010 at around £3bn, which has translated into real-terms cuts. Many practices now face the prospect of delivering some NHS treatments, particularly those that require laboratory work like dentures or bridges, at a financial loss.
Neil O’Brien MP, the recently departed minister with responsibility for NHS dentistry, said days after his resignation, “if such fiscal headroom is opening up, I hope the chancellor will devote some of it to health - GPs and dentists could rapidly do more with some extra funds.”
Eddie Crouch, BDA chair, said, “The chancellor offered no hope to the millions struggling to secure care. He failed to offer a penny to a service on the brink, just pulling away care from the patients who need us most.
“The Treasury will decide whether NHS dentistry has a future, but there’s no sign this government is willing to step up.”