Extent of clawback revealed in answers to PQs
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- Published: Sunday, 15 October 2017 23:01
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In answer to a Parliamnetary Question by Steve McCabe, junior health minister Steve Brine published a table showing that last year 4.4 million UDAs, with a value of £129 million were not delivered in 2,409 contracts. In answer to another question Mr Brine said 22.2 million adults and 6.8 million children were seen by a dentist last year.
Steve McCabe, Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, asked a series of questions about the number of UDAs contracted but not delivered and the total value of these, as well as how many contracts had not met their target.
Steve Brine MP, junior health minister, published a table showing:
- the contracted units of dental activity not delivered through NHS dental contracts;
- the total value of under delivered contracted units of dental activity; and
- the number of contracts where not all contracted units of dental activity were delivered in England, for each year from 2012/13- 2016/17.
| Year | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 |
Contracted UDAs not delivered. | 5,210,585 | 3,812,758 | 3,799,633 | 4,352,738 | 4,363,613 |
Total value of under delivered UDAs | £113,854,578 | £95,227,354 | £105,711,840 | £120,090,256 | £128,842,469 |
Number of contracts in where not all UDAs had been delivered | 3,320 | 2,659 | 2,704 | 2,688 | 2,409 |
- Contracted units of dental activity not delivered through NHS dental contracts does not assume that up to 4% of under delivery is carried forward by the contractor, for delivery in the subsequent year (up to 4% under delivery is a contractual tolerance managed by commissioners).
David Crausby Labour, Bolton North East asked what recent assessment had been made of the adequacy of provision of dentistry services by the NHS.
Steve Brine, Junior Health minister said: “NHS England has a legal duty to commission National Health Service dental services to meet the needs of the local population and to help patients who cannot find a local dentist. Nationally, access to primary care dental services continues to increase. In the 24 month period ending 30 June 2017 22.2 million adults were seen by a dentist and in the 12 month period ending 30 June 2017 6.8 million children were seen by a dentist.
“The January to March 2017 general practitioner patient survey results were published in July. These showed that 59% of adults questioned had tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the past two years and of those trying to get an appointment, 95% were successful. Access has improved greatly over recent years but we know inequalities remain. New ways of providing NHS dental services are being tested which aim to further improve oral health and increase access to NHS dental services, by preventing as well as treating disease. Alongside this, is NHS England’s recently launched Starting Well programme, which will run in 13 high needs areas to improve access to dental services for children known to be at greater risk of dental disease and who are not currently being seen by a dentist.”
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