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New contract leaves another 1.4m without an NHS dentist By Jenny Hope - Medical Correspondent - Daily Mail, March 9, 2007 A controversial new cash deal for dentists has left 1.4 million more people without NHS treatment - and a £120 million shortfall in income. The contract was introduced 11 months ago to stop dentists charging for each procedure and to promote a more preventative approach to dental care. It prompted an exodus of 2,000 dentists from the NHS and assurances from Ministers that every patient who lost an NHS dentist would be taken on by another. Now figures collected under the Freedom of Information Act from 152 primary care trusts in England show a sharp reduction in the amount of NHS work being done. For the first nine months of the current financial year, 51.8 million Units of Dental Activity were delivered - a figure that falls short of what the Government said was needed to maintain levels of NHS dentistry. In 2005-6 around 24.7 million people received NHS dental care, but - calculated from the latest treatment figures - this will have dropped to 23.3 million. As a result, the income received by PCTs from patients paying NHS charges has fallen. They were expecting £541 million, but will only receive £417 million. One reason could be that 'an increasing number of patients are moving to private treatment', says the Department of Health's own primary care contracting group. There are also reports that up to a quarter of NHS practices are treating to many patients too quickly, and are now being told to delay treatments until Easter. Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley, who obtained the figures, said they were the latest miscalculation on NHS staff contracts. Other contracts that went over budget were the GP pay and conditions deal which exceeded estimates by £407 million; the Agenda for Change contract for hundreds of thousands of workers (£220 million) and the consultants' contract (90 million), he said. Mr Lansley said: "Eight years ago, Tony Blair promised everyone would have access to an NHS dentist, but in the last year, 1.4 million fewer people have access. NHS dentistry has reached this crisis point because Labour wanted to milk dental patients through higher charges. We need a contract that will incentivise NHS dentists to see more people. One that supports a relationship between individuals and their dentist and promotes good oral health." Susie Sanderson, Chairman of the British Dental Association's Executive Board, said: "The BDA is aware that dentists and patients across the country are experiencing significant problems with the Government's target-driven reforms to NHS dentistry. From our own research, we know that three-quarters of dentist felt that the contracts they were allocated did not accurately reflect the amount of treatment they are able to provide. Where patient charge revenue shortfalls are occurring, the BDA is concerned that they must not be allowed to impact on the provision of patient care." The Department of Health said: "This survey paints a picture that we do not recognise. We do not accept that 1.4 million fewer people have access to NHS dentistry. Widely available figures show that access has remained remarkably stable. Equally it is nonsense to talk of a shortfall in investment. PCTs have put more money into dentistry than they needed to do and the access figures show this is translating into services for patients." In March last year, Health Minister Rosie Winterton said the vast majority of dentists were signing up to the new contract. She said: "If dentists choose not to sign up, the local NHS will use that funding to buy services from other dentists."
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