Responding to Labour’s budget, ADG reiterates the two ‘Rs’ critical to dental recovery

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Posted by: Dental Design 7th November 2024

The Association of Dental Groups (ADG) provided a robust response to the Chancellor, Rachael Reeves’ budget announcements with a reminder that to put UK dentistry back on its feet, a larger workforce is needed. The ADG has written and met with Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock to explain how a ‘Recruitment & Retainment’ policy for the dental workforce in the UK is pivotal to the recovery of dentistry in the UK. Whilst there weren’t any budget interventions made specifically on dentistry in the new Labour Government’s first budget, there have been a number of manifesto pledges made during the pre-election period relating to dental recovery. These pledges must now be delivered. The ADG is calling for the dental workforce in the UK to be one of this Government’s priorities.

Whilst NHS dental contract reforms are essential, the ADG, (the member trade association, representing 10,000 clinicians and 1,800 practices), has also been campaigning for some time to improve the recruitment and retention of the dental workforce. The ADG cautions that without this focus on the dental workforce, pledges such as the 700,000 extra appointments will be difficult to deliver.

The structure of dentistry in the UK differs in a number of ways from most other areas of healthcare and so it is key that the whole of dentistry’s ‘mixed economy’ (NHS and private) is considered when designing solutions to the current crisis. The ADG’s seven recommendations, most of which can be actioned in the short term, without legislative change – and with no cost to Government – are as follows:

1. Commit to support recruitment: Accelerate long-term workforce plan and unlock barriers preventing high-quality international dentists registering
2. Use commissioning solutions: To meet the needs of the population and roll out examples of successful flexible commissioning
3. Plan the workforce: Recognise the relationship between the ‘mixed economy’, skill mix and devolved nations
4. Invest in community prevention: Support community water fluoridation, have policies for sugar reduction, hold Integrated Care Boards/ LA/ NHS to account for delivering community preventative schemes like targeted supervised toothbrushing
5. Remunerate practice-based prevention: Offer realistic remuneration and promote flexible commissioning for practice-based prevention.
6. Protect the dental budget: Ringfence the budget and require ICBs to have a clear plan for dental underspend.
7. Support the retention of the workforce: Continue to reform the dental contract and ensure that pay review processes are transparent.

Neil Carmichael, Executive Chair, ADG said: “The bottom line is, we need a bigger dental workforce. We need to put the aspiration back into a career in dentistry. With a focus on excellence, skills and training we will attract more dentists, dental nurses, therapists and hygienists – and we can start to rebuild a robust workforce. They must be paid properly, trained properly, rewarded properly – and proud to make a lifelong dentistry career a desirable ambition.

“This is not just a dental contract issue. We must acknowledge the recruitment and retention issues. There are a number of solutions which can be implemented without costing more. We know that with just 1,000 more dentists, we can create 750,000 more appointments, improving patient access and taking the pressure off NHS services across the country. The ADG is here to support the new Government to deliver on their election dentistry manifesto pledges.”