Darzi Report: Urgent Action Required To Fix Dental Contract
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- Published: Friday, 20 September 2024 10:38
- Written by Guy Tuggle
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When Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health & Social Care asked Lord Ara Darzi to undertake his far reaching Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England he asked the renowned cancer surgeon to make his report a ‘roadmap‘ for a Ten Year Plan which the Department aims to publish next spring.
The published report is far reaching, damning, but concludes that whilst ’the NHS is in a critical position, its vital signs are strong’.
On dentistry, Lord Darzi’s report takes an informed view and concurs with the thinking of the profession and campaigning by the British Dental Association. Contract reform is key.
’Good dental health is essential for adults and children alike’ the report states, ’Yet only about 30 and 40 per cent of NHS dental practices are accepting new child and adult registrations respectively’.
It references the respected report by the Nuffield Trust published in December 2023, to illustrate the regional disparities in NHS dental provision. These highlighted an acute shortage of practices serving rural and coastal communities.
If Lord Darzi concluded the NHS’s ’vital signs’ were strong, the Nuffield Trust was less reassuring with regard to dentistry. Its report said ’Full, universal access to NHS dentistry has probably gone for good, and a drift to the private sector has been taking place for years’. It did concede, however, that ’with bold policy-making it may be possible to prevent further decline’.
Rounding up its analysis of NHS dentistry Lord Darzi’s Investigation concluded with a clarion call. ’If dentistry is to continue as a core NHS service, urgent action is needed to develop a contract that balances activity and prevention, is attractive to dentists, and rewards those dentists who practice in less served areas.
’There are enough dentists in England’ the Report claims, ’just not enough dentists willing to do enough NHS work, which impacts provision for the poorest in society’.
Commenting on X, formerly Twitter, BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said "Lord Darzi has reached the same conclusion as select committees, think tanks and this profession. Past governments have attempted tweaks at the margins. Saving NHS dentistry means fixing a broken contract."
John Makin, head of the Dental Defence Union, added “We welcome the government’s recognition that healthcare professionals are working in a broken system. Lord Darzi’s report has shone a spotlight on the scale of the challenge the NHS faces.
Every day dental professionals go to work to do the best they can for their patients, but the strain staff are under is now clear for all to see."
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