DoH Failing To Improve Dental Services, MPs Warn

Thu, 03 Jul 2008

A new report by MPs has claimed that the Department of Health (DoH) is failing to improve dental services, as assessed by its own criteria for success.

The House of Commons’ Health Committee has released a report which is critical of the current NHS dental system and warns that despite assertions from the chief dental officer (CDO) that that the situation has stabilised and improvements would soon be seen, access to dentistry "remains uneven" across the country.

The Dental Services report, published yesterday, states that the indications are that the new arrangements have so far failed to improve patient access overall.

Derek Watson, Chief Executive Officer of the DPA, said "The April 2006 contract was not piloted and introduced changes that were pretty well guaranteed to increase the flow of dentists out of the NHS ."

"The Select Committee has acknowledged this. We broadly welcome the Report and in particular their recommendations to increase the number of treatment bands and to review the system of paying dentists by Units of Dental Activity which discourages dentists from accepting patients with high treatment needs," he added.

The report on the current state of Britain’s dental services was published following an announcement of enquiry last October and the submission of oral and written evidence by many parties.
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