The Department of Health has announced an 11% budget increase for the commissioning of primary dental care services in 2008/9. The £2,081 million budget is detailed in the document Operating framework for the NHS in England for 2008/9, which also sets primary care trusts the objective of ensuring year-on-year improvements in the number of patients accessing primary care NHS dental services.
The increase has been given a qualified welcome by the British Dental Association (BDA). BDA Chief Executive Peter Ward said, 'For too long investment in NHS dentistry has failed to keep pace with funding for other areas of the NHS. The BDA is pleased to see that the profession has at last been listened to and that NHS dentistry is to receive a much-needed financial boost.' He continued, 'The real challenge now is ensuring that the money is spent putting patients, rather than targets, at the centre of NHS dentistry.'
Dr Roger Mathews, Chief Dental Officer for Denplan, also sounded a note of caution in his response to the announcement. 'While we are always encouraged by additional funding going into primary dental services, we have grave concerns for how much of this extra funding will benefit dentists with existing NHS contracts and therefore patients directly,' he said. 'With the loss of ring-fencing now looming closer, and value for the taxpayer remaining the first priority, pressures on UDA values will only intensify.'
