The department of health’s decision has this year been made without a recommendation from the doctors’ and dentists’ review body, following its decision to suspend DDRB’s role in determining pay settlements.
The Department of Health has also signalled that it intends to implement changes to the way that dental contracts are managed at the end of the 2013/14 financial year, although the details of these changes are yet to be published.
Dr John Milne, Chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, said “While dentists understand the financial challenges facing the public purse that sit behind this decision, they also know that their practice expenses are continuing to escalate and that their professional lives are becoming ever more challenging.”
“Dentistry in England is facing an uncertain time with new commissioning arrangements being implemented in just a few weeks and new contractual arrangements being piloted.”
“Dentists are working hard not only to care for their patients today, but also to make these reforms work to build a better future.”
“That future will also depend on the funding shortfalls that are being endured by practices now being recouped in future years. The BDA will continue to remind Government of this and look to the DDRB for future recommendations to more effectively support dentists’ hard work caring for patients.”
“We will also press for the all-important detail of the changes to contract management that have been announced alongside today’s announcement to be published. Inevitably, the devil will be in the detail of these changes and we will be looking very closely at them.”
Salaried dentists will receive one per cent pay uplift, in line with the award given to other NHS employees.