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WGDPC webinar on the future of GDS contract reform

The Welsh General Dental Practice Committee (WGDPC) will be hosting an open webinar to provide all dental practitioners in Wales a forum to review progress with the NHS General Dental Service (GDS) contract reform and to consider the options available ahead.

The webinar will be held on Tuesday 7 March from 19:00 to 21:00 and participants are required to register prior to the event.

The webinar, to be led by Russell Gidney, Chair of WGDPC, will host a series of short presentations from WGDPC members, interspersed with polls from the audience.

The new GDS reform volumetric targets for 2023-24 show that the Welsh Government has failed to appropriately review the level of funding provided to reduce backlogs and the general unmet needs of NHS care.

The Health Minister has ignored the financial risk involved in piloting the reform measures and claims ‘new’ appointments are being made available through the reform measures. This, however, describes stipulated provisions for ‘new’ patients, often with greater clinical needs, and will cause a further drop in access for practices historic patients.

Some practice owners are considering opting for the UDA-only contract, believing it to be fairer to those historic patients who have been pushed aside and are now suffering from poor oral health.

Members of WGDPC, Lauren Harrhy and Dan Cook, will discuss working under the reform’s volumetrics and the impact it is having on practices and staff, and the pros and cons working instead with the Units of Dental Activity (UDA) only option.

Further topics of discussion covered include:

  • The future of workforce planning and government policy on Skills Mix in the GDS
  • The conversion from NHS to private practice
  • An overview of recording patient NHS numbers in the GDS and introduction of the Wales National Workforce and Reporting System (WNWRS) in the forthcoming reform year 2023-24.

The meeting will close with Russell Gidney reflecting on the results of the instant polls and some key messages for the Welsh Government.

Register now to secure your place.