Workforce plan attempting to handcuff dentists to sinking ship

The British Dental Association has expressed deep concern that the new NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is setting out aspirations to tie dental graduates to a failed NHS system, with no tangible plans to reform the discredited contract fuelling the exodus from the service.

In proposals set out just for dentists the plan states “one approach we will consider with government is to introduce incentives or other measures, such as a tie-in period, that encourage dentists to spend a minimum proportion of their time delivering NHS care in the years following graduation.”

The plan set out aspirations to expand dentistry training places by 40% so that there are over 1,100 places by 2031/32. The BDA has described this move as an attempt to “fill a leaky bucket.” Over half (50.3%) of high street dentists responding to recent BDA surveys reported having reduced NHS commitments since the start of the pandemic. 74% stated their intention to reduce – or further reduce – their NHS work.

British Dental Association Chair Eddie Crouch said:

“Ministers need to make the NHS a place young dentists would choose to work. Not handcuff the next generation to a sinking ship.

“Seeing the detail, nothing changes our view that government is trying in vain to fill a leaky bucket.

“It’s an exercise in futility training more dentists who don’t want to work in the NHS.”

The professional body say it is also striking that dentistry appears to be the exception to the rule on reducing dependence on overseas labour.

The dental regulator, the General Dental Council, has recently gone on the record stating bringing in more dentists will not solve problems fuelled by broken contracts.

“Improving the throughput of those from overseas who want to be registered in this country is the right thing to be doing,” said GDC chair, Lord Toby Harris at the Annual Conference of Local Dental Committees earlier this month. “But it is not some magic bullet that will solve the problems in NHS dentistry.”

“If the contractual terms by which NHS services are provided are unattractive to many dentists currently on the register, then there is no reason why those same terms will be any more attractive to new registrants – whether they are from overseas or who qualify here,” he added.

The Government has consistently championed the import of overseas dentists. There are currently around 1,500 candidates waiting to sit Part 1 of the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE). While the BDA supports urgent action to deal with this huge backlog, it does not represent a solution to the access crisis.