Dental practices 'weeks from a cliff edge', say dentists

A BDA poll suggests 70% of practices report that they can only maintain financial viability for a maximum of three months. Those providing predominantly private care are worst affected.

The poll capturing the responses of nearly a quarter of all practices in the UK has revealed:

• With all routine care now suspended in response to the COVID-19 crisis, 71.5% of practices report they can only remain financially sustainable for three months or less. 1 in 5 (20.4%) estimate they can only survive the month.
  
  
• Less than a third (28.7%) estimate they will be placed to restore pre-pandemic levels of patient access.
  
  
• 26% of practices have already attempted to secure a government backed interruption loan, but 93.4% of applicants were unable to secure credit. 46.7% of those who failed have already had to seek commercial loans to stay afloat, at reported rates of interest of over 20%.
  
  
• The vast majority of UK practices are mixed, delivering both NHS and private care in varying proportions. Practices performing a greater share of private work appear most exposed, with 75% of those with low or no NHS commitment (0-25% NHS) stating they will face imminent difficulties in the next three months, falling to 60.7% among those with the highest NHS commitments (75% or more of NHS activity).

While the NHS side of practices have been offered some support by government, the BDA has warned that if those practices with a greater reliance on private work go under, whatever service remains will be unable to meet patient demand. 

The private side of dentistry effectively cross subsidises a diminishing NHS budget, with total spend on private care exceeding the UK-wide NHS dental budget every year since 2012. Unmet need for NHS dental services was estimated last year at around 4 million adults in England.

NHS practices currently receive some help with their business rates. Dentist leaders are pressing for the full rates relief offered to the retail and hospitality sectors to be extended to all high street practices, and for pledges to simplify and expand the government loan scheme to be expedited.

All self-employed dentists, particularly those working in private practice, need access to the support outlined by the Chancellor. Those earning anything above £50,000 are currently entirely excluded.  

The BDA has called on the Treasury to provide equitable treatment for all self-employed workers.   

BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said:'Many practices are now weeks from a cliff edge, saddling themselves with debt they may never be able to repay.

'It was right to suspend all non-urgent care, but without meaningful support the nation’s dental services face decimation, and no practice can be excluded. 

'Dentistry cannot weather this storm when nearly every surgery relies on private care to stay afloat. If officials let these vital services go to wall, the impact will be felt by patients in every community in Britain.'

BDA poll of owners UK dental practices (2860 practices responding, or 24.3% of an est. total of 11,800). Fieldwork 1-6 April 2020.