"Sore teeth and gums are debilitating, and dentistry ought not to be out of reach for anyone who needs it. The decision to prioritise complex cases, as well as the lack of urgent care in some places, has been taken following a consultation that highlighted these two issues. From next April, the NHS payment system will alter so that patients can book a package rather than a series of individual appointments if they need to be seen more than once."
"The NHS dental contract introduced in 2006 marked a radical break with what went before. People lost the right to register with a dentist in the same way that they register with a GP, who then acts as a gateway to other treatments and who receives a payment for each patient on their list. Instead, dentists began to be paid per unit of activity."
NHS dental contract changes in England will prioritise complex cases and expand urgent-care access, responding to consultation findings about unmet need and lack of urgent slots. From next April patients requiring multiple visits can book a package instead of separate appointments, and dentists will be incentivised to offer more urgent-treatment slots for severe pain and infections. The new fees adjust the existing payment system but stop short of a full overhaul. The 2006 contract shifted dentists to payment per unit of activity and removed GP-style patient registration, a structure that soon revealed significant problems.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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