The changes announced this week will mean a significant number – potentially the majority – of dental students losing access to the universal £4,000 a year Dental Undergraduate Bursary scheme (DUBS). The new Dental Student Support Grant (DSSG) will be means tested. Applicants with two parents both earning just a little over the “real living wage” of £8.45 per hour would be ineligible for support under the new system.
The SNP has consistently criticised the UK Government’s abolition of bursaries for nurses and allied health professionals, and in its 2017 manifesto committed the party to policy outcomes to attract and retain talented young people to work in the NHS.
The Scottish Government has stated its intentions to divert funds into a programme to support children from deprived schools to apply for dentistry. However, it is not clear if any progress has been made in implementing this scheme.
The BDA has previously joined with the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives, UNISON and the National Union of Students to seek clarity on the UK Government’s position on a reformed NHS bursary for health professionals in England.
Dental graduates are left saddled with tens of thousands of pounds of debt come graduation day, with many students choosing dentistry as their second degree often facing significantly more.
Paul Blaylock, chair of the BDA’s Students Committee, said, “The Scottish Government appears to be following Westminster’s lead, and risks raising the drawbridge to the health professions to kids from ordinary families. Dental students will be losing out on up to £16,000 over the course of their degree when their finances are already stretched and debt is rising.
“It's a kick in the teeth to the vast majority of students who will spend their professional lives working for the NHS and improving Scotland’s oral health. This funding exists because these students face longer term lengths and significant difficulties juggling their studies with part-time work.
“If the money is going to be shifted back into schools, the Scottish Government needs to indicate how that money will be spent to increase access to training as a dentist. There is a review underway of Scottish student finance. They have a duty to deliver adequate financial support for all students that meets their full cost of living and allows them to focus on their studies.”