Dentists working longer hours
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- Published: Thursday, 23 August 2012 12:28
- Written by News Editor
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Between 2006/07 and 2011/12 there have been gradual increases in the average weekly hours of dentists, with practice owners increasing from 39.6 to 41.9 hours. Over the same time period, there was also a gradual increase in the proportion of time spent on non-clinical work (including administration). Despite the increase in hours, time spent on clinical work by dentists changed little between 2006/07 and 2011/12.
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The figures come from an NHS Information Centre publication: Dental Working Hours, England and Wales, 2010/11 and 2011/12 (www.ic.nhs,uk).
The main findings for 2011/12:
Overall, NHS dentists (full and part-time) reported working an average of 37.5
hours per week in dentistry, of which 28.1 hours (74.8 per cent) were devoted
to NHS dental services. The remainder, 25.2 per cent, was accounted for by
private dentistry.
On average, practice owning dentists worked more weekly hours (41.9
hours) than associate dentists at 35.9 hours.
The former reported spending 64.8 per cent of their time on NHS dentistry (27.1 weekly NHS hours); for associates this measure was 79.2 per cent (28.4 weekly NHS hours).
Male dentists worked more weekly hours (40.1 hours on average) than female dentists (33.7 weekly hours). Men reported spending 72.0 per cent of their time on NHS dentistry, equivalent to 28.8 weekly NHS hours; for women this proportion was 79.8 per cent (26.9 weekly NHS hours).
Overall, dentists working within the PDS reported spending 81.9 per cent of their time on NHS dental services, which is higher than that for those in the General Dental Services, at 73.2 per cent.
There is regional variation in the proportion of total time spent on NHS dentistry (NHS share). Dentists in the South East Coast SHA and South Central SHA reported the lowest NHS share (66.3 per cent) and dentists in the North East SHA reported the highest (82.3 per cent).
Overall, dentists reported that their time spent on dentistry was split by 82.7 per cent on clinical work and 17.3 per cent on non-clinical work (including administrative and management duties). Practice owners reported spending 76.2 per cent of their time on clinical work, whereas for associates this proportion was 85.5 per cent.
There was little reported change in average annual leave between 2006/07 and 2011/12.
In 2000, the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) conducted a dental workload study on behalf of the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB). This study, based on dentists working in the General Dental Service across Great Britain, showed that dentists (both full and parttime) worked an average of 39.4 hours a week. This is higher than the average weekly hours of 37.5 reported by dentists for 2011/12 in the analysis presented in this report, however, the BMRB sample was not weighted for dental type and had a higher proportion of practice owners compared to the 2011/12 sample.
https://www.wp.dh.gov.uk/publications/files/2012/11/DDRB-web-version-GMPs-GDPs-final.pdf
page 22 "2.32 Dentists have achieved a reduction in working hours, with evidence from the NHSIC dental
working hours survey published in August 2012 showing that dentists are working an
average of 37.5 hours per week in 2011/12 compared to 39.4 hours in 2000. (Source:
Dental Working Hours England and Wales 2008/09 and 2011/12 published by The NHSIC)"
this is part of the Department
of Health evidence to DDRB on General Medical Practitioners and General Dental
Practitioners. Surely this article and the above quote can't both be correct.
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