UK government announces cash boost for dentists in England

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Dentists will be offered a cash incentive of up to £50 for every new patient taken on under a government scheme to boost the provision of dental care across England.

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care said on Wednesday that one million people who have not seen a dentist for two or more years are expected to benefit under the plans, which are estimated to create an extra 2.5mn appointments next year. 

The crisis facing dentistry services was laid bare this week as police were forced to oversee a queue of hundreds of people waiting to register with a newly-opened NHS dental surgery in Bristol in the south west of England. 

The incident followed a study published by The Academy of Medical Sciences on Monday, which found one in four children are affected by tooth decay.

A recent analysis by the UK’s opposition Labour party said that 83 per cent of dental practices were not accepting adults as NHS patients, while 71 per cent are not taking on new patients under the age of 18.

Under the government’s plans, dentists who work in parts of the country with fewer services will be able to claim one-off “golden hello” payments of £20,000 for working in “underserved areas for up to three years”.

The government has allocated £200mn towards the “dental recovery plan”, under which the public will have greater visibility of which local surgeries are accepting new patients through an NHS App. 

Announcing the plans, prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “We’re taking action today to boost the number of NHS dentists, help cut waiting lists and put NHS dentistry on a sustainable footing for the long-term.”

But Shawn Charlwood, chair of the British Dental Association’s general dental practice committee, accused ministers of “rearranging the deckchairs”. 

In a statement, he said: “This recovery plan is not worthy of the title. It won’t halt the exodus from the workforce or offer hope to millions struggling to access care.”

Healthcare is expected to become a key battleground at the general election, expected later this year. Labour has pledged to create 700,000 extra dental appointments per year and a national supervised toothbrushing programme if it wins.