Responding to the publication of the Government’s health white paper this week, General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC) Chair Dr John Milne said:
“The White Paper does not address dental services in detail nor exactly what the implications of the new framework will be, but it is promising to see that primary care dentistry will be commissioned by a new NHS Board. Safeguarding dental services, whether provided by family practices or the salaried and specialist services, is paramount.
“It is reassuring that the Government has reiterated its pledge to pilot changes to the dental contract and we are urging the Minister to continue developing the pilots testing out the recommendations in the Steele report.
“We are also pleased to see the emphasis on outcomes based on proven clinical indicators, rather than targets, and that quality will be incentivised. The drive to commission services around care pathways appears to endorse the principles contained in the Steele Review which is also welcome.
“We look forward to more detailed proposals on how the Government intends to implement these changes.”Commenting on the potential impact of the White Paper for salaried dental services, Peter Bateman, Chair of the British Dental Association's Salaried Dentists Committee, said:
“It is essential that special care dentistry and other salaried dental services are included in same dental commissioning arrangements as for general practice otherwise there is a risk that the budget for community services could be lost to dentistry.”
The White Paper signals the start of an extensive consultation process that will take place over the coming weeks; this includes the publication of consultation documents by the Department of Health.
