Labour unveils new 'rescue plan' to improve NHS dentistry

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 24 July 2024

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LONDON, UK: After its recent landslide victory in the UK general election held on 4 July, the new Labour government has placed dentistry high on its list of priorities. Seeking to redress the national dental care crisis, a dire situation marked by difficulty in obtaining appointments, declining paediatric oral health, reduced public funding and an alarming rise in DIY dentistry, the new government has formulated a £111 million (€129 million)^* per year plan designed to reinstate a robust, equitable dental industry in line with broader National Health Service (NHS) reform.

The rescue plan includes a suite of measures aimed primarily at combating deteriorating access to and quality of dental care across the country that have marked recent years. A significant part of the plan is a reworking of the existing contract between NHS England and independent dental practices, something that was lacking in the dental recovery plan under the previous Conservative government, according to the British Dental Association (BDA). Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting has already met with the BDA for initial discussion on contract negotiation. Commenting on this, Dr Shawn Charlwood, chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, said: “There’s now a chance to move forward, to rescue and reform a service millions depend on.”

The current NHS contract effectively limits the number of patients dentists can see. Dentists face penalties if they do not meet targets, and they receive no extra payment for exceeding them. Payment rates do not reflect treatment complexity, discouraging dentists from accepting high-need patients, as compensation often does not cover costs.

The specific initiatives outlined by the new government largely echo those stipulated by the previous Conservative government’s dental rescue strategy presented earlier in the year. Foremost among Labour’s strategies is the creation of an extra 700,000 urgent and emergency dental appointments a year, a move that explicitly targets the lamentable fact that, as reported by the BBC, nine out of ten dental practices across the UK were not accepting new NHS-funded adult patients for treatment.

To address personnel shortages, a Labour press release stated somewhat dramatically that the plan will “flood dental deserts with new dentistry graduates”, including the creation of golden hellos of £20,000 for graduates who spend at least three years working in underserved areas. Approximately 240 dentists would have been offered this under the Conservative plan, and Labour has said that one in five trainee dentists will be offered it under its plan. Considering that around 1,100 dental students graduate in the UK annually, the number of beneficiaries appears to be similar.

Finally, in an attempt to curb the highly concerning trend of child admissions to hospital due to oral health neglect, the plan outlines a preventive programme of supervised toothbrushing for 3- to 5-year-olds, similar to the plan under the Conservative government.

The government’s new rescue plan is certainly presented as a panacea for the national dental crisis and promises a suite of highly targeted strategies. The plan’s success will be determined by how the plan is implemented and whether it falls victim to the same logistical, fiscal and bureaucratic challenges that have plagued the system over recent years.

Editorial note:

*Calculated on the OANDA platform on December 4, 2023.