Government’s ‘rescue plan’ faces criticism

30 October 2024

The British Dental Association (BDA) has expressed concerns over the government’s ‘rescue plan’ for dentistry, as it appears that the treasury has squeezed plans for investment.

According to leaked messages seen by the professional body, the government appears to have moved from pledges of using £125m in investment from the clampdown on non-doms and are instead recycling existing budgets. The BDA has said this is a stark contrast to messages from the treasury of billions of ‘new’ NHS funding.

According to the association, close to £500m was left unspent in 2022/23 as practices missed their contract targets.

The BDA has argued that all these funds – around a sixth of the total NHS dental budget – should have already been earmarked to expand access for millions of patients by keeping NHS practices sustainable.

The association has also criticised plans not to adopt a single national framework for delivery of urgent care. The draft message is letting integrated care boards decide how to use funds, with delivery set to begin in December 2024. Experiences in the north of England suggest that a model based on sessional payments enjoyed strong uptake, as it broke with the flawed targets in the current contract. The BDA has said the lack of clarity may limit uptake.

Eddie Crouch, chair of the BDA, said, “Promises of new investment in NHS dentistry have turned into a raid on existing budgets. These are funds that could be used to keep practices afloat, and millions of patients seen. Instead of a ‘rescue plan’ the treasury are offering a modest exercise in recycling.”