The agreement will deliver an average uplift of 4.4 per cent and introduce a dedicated educational fund of £750 per dentist to be used on continuous professional development, in line with the contracts in England and Wales. This marks the first time such funding will be available to community dentists in Northern Ireland.
The deal comes after nearly seven years of lobbying with the DHSSPSNI. Authorities agreed to open negotiations in 2013, but were unable to secure financing for this contract until January, 2016.
The BDA is now balloting its members, and is offering a recommendation to accept the deal.
Grainne Quinn, chair of the BDA’s Northern Ireland Salaried Dentists Committee, said:
“This deal represents a real victory for community dentists in Northern Ireland.
“Our negotiating team succeeded in securing a proposed settlement which, if accepted by members, will be backdated to April, 2015. This goes some way towards acknowledging the significant delays with the process to date. The introduction of a £750 allowance recognises the importance of ongoing training and development for community dentists and would bring us into line with our colleagues in England & Wales.
“I believe this proposal represents a good outcome for community dentists in Northern Ireland and, on behalf of the Salaried Dental Committee, I would recommend acceptance of this offer.”
FAQs are available here: https://www.bda.org/northernireland/nisdc/Pages/TandCs-FAQs.aspx