Fair pay and contracts

BDA member exclusive

UDA contract changes in England: Information and advice

From 1 April 2026, the NHS contract in England will change in a number of areas from urgent care to complex care, and prevention to quality improvement. We will be supporting our members every step of the way.

Find out more

Pay

High street NHS dentists have seen a fall in real incomes with no parallel in the public sector. This collapse in pay is putting a struggling workforce under huge pressure, and fuelling an access crisis.

Contract reform

Discredited contracts are fuelling an exodus from the NHS. The payments they receive often bare little relation to the work they do, and some treatments can be delivered at a financial loss. These systems fail high needs patients, who require and deserve more time in the chair.

Pensions

We lobby governments to get a fairer deal on pensions.

Industrial action

We campaign for fair pay for all dentists, a mandate which stretches from negotiating with government to organising strike action when other routes have been exhausted.

BDA support: NHS England abolition

Last year, the Government confirmed the abolition of NHS England, a 50 per cent reduction in its central workforce, and a transition of these functions into a transformed Department for Health and Social Care. As this process continues, we are here as your trade union to support any members affected by these changes.

BDA support: Academia

As concerns rise about university finances, we are working to support our members working in academia.

Latest news

England: Austerity pay awards will fuel exodus from NHS

Government plans for an upper limit of 2.4% on pay awards represent a clear failure to confront the pressures fuelling the exodus of dentists away from NHS care.

Northern Ireland: GDS payment reform update

The true cost to deliver care must be the starting point for payment reform.

Scotland: Pay award announced for NHS General Dental Practitioners

Northern Ireland: Scale of funding gap sinking Health Service dentistry confirmed

Read the newly published Cost-of-Service Report, and the next steps.

Northern Ireland: Urgent update sought on DDRB implementation

We have requested an urgent update on progress being made to implement this year’s pay award and associated recommendations in a joint letter from BDA NI Chairs to Health Minister Robbie Butler.

England: Government exempt quality improvement and appraisals from uplifts

Officials take a pick-and-mix approach to supporting contract holders.

Northern Ireland: Assembly unanimous on need for urgency to deal with dental crisis

Members of the Legislative Assembly have passed an Assembly motion calling on the Minister of Health to develop a new oral health strategy to reform dental services, address workforce challenges and expedite dental payment reform. Also, to introduce specific measures to address barriers to accessing dental care in all communities.

Northern Ireland: Campaign for fair pay for hospital dentists

We are seeking the views of our HDS NI members - Residents, Specialty, Associate Specialist, and Specialist (SAS) and Consultants - on the latest pay position.

Scotland: Pre-election period commences without DDRB announcement

The Scottish Government is yet to respond to Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration 54th report.

Northern Ireland: NI Executive urged to act decisively to support dentistry

Our work pressing for timely payments, and a reminder of key payment dates.

England: Government set to undermine above-inflation pay recommendation

DDRB have made their recommendations on pay, which officials are set to undo by failing to reflect the mounting cost of delivering NHS care.

England: £900m clawback reflects perversity of failed contract

We have worked alongside the BBC to reveal how £900 million of budget has been handed back by dentists - reflecting the perversity of the broken contract our members are working within.