Dentists in England to be paid more for emergency NHS appointments

"The changes, which will be introduced from April next year, will include dentists being incentivised to provide emergency and complex treatments through the introduction of a standardised payment package, ministers said. It is intended to address the fact that many dentists have stopped their NHS-funded work because the fees for many procedures do not cover the costs involved. The inability of millions of people across England to access NHS dental care has resulted in dental deserts and even DIY dentistry."

"The government said its changes would allow patients who need urgent treatment to get appointments more easily, with dentists incentivised to offer urgent care for issues such as severe pain, infections or trauma to teeth on the NHS. Those who need complex care, such as treatment for severe gum disease, will be able to book a single package of treatment, rather than it being spread over several appointments."

From April next year dentists will receive standardised payment packages to incentivise provision of emergency and complex NHS treatments. The measure aims to reverse dentists withdrawing from NHS work because fees do not cover costs. Millions across England lack access to NHS dental care, producing dental deserts and DIY dentistry. A patient watchdog report found people needing emergency care were being denied help, with some pulling out their own teeth. The changes are intended to make urgent appointments easier to obtain, allow single-package booking for complex care, and could save patients about 225. Health minister Stephen Kinnock described the initiative as a first step to restore NHS dentistry after a decade of decline and to prevent painful conditions escalating to avoidable hospital admissions.

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