Dentists halt talks on contract

Only half the population are currently registered with a dentist

Negotiations on reforms aimed to ensure more people have access to NHS dentists have broken down.

The British Dental Association has suspended talks with government on the arrangements for a new contract needed by October 2005.

It said it was regrettable, but to continue discussions now would let down dentists and devalue NHS dentistry.

The Department of Health said it was surprised and disappointed by the BDA's decision.

Stalemate

At the moment just 17m adults and 7m children in England - about half the population - are registered with dentists.

The government is introducing the contract, which will be offered to about 20,000 dentists in England, in a bid to move away from intervention-based working.

It believes dentists have been unable to offer the best service for patients because the payment system is weighted towards treating people rather than addressing why they needed treatment.

This was a decision we never wished to make. Chair of the BDA's General Dental Practice Committee, Dr Lester Ellman Q&A: Dentist reforms

Chair of the BDA's General Dental Practice Committee, Dr Lester Ellman, is concerned that key elements of the draft contract could prevent dentists from spending more time with their patients.

It could also hinder a more quality-driven and preventive approach to oral healthcare, and might not improve the working lives of the dental team and the patient experience, he said.

He outlined his concerns in a letter to senior civil servants in the dental branch of the Department of Health.

He said: "This was a decision we never wished to make and it is a highly regrettable position to find ourselves in.

"We have been proactive in our discussions with the Department of Health but the traffic has been almost entirely one way.

"To continue would be to devalue NHS dentistry and to let down the dentists we represent."

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We are confident that dentists will be attracted to the new NHS contract terms that we will be offering.

"2,500 dentist have already voted with their feet to join the new way of working.

"We're surprised and disappointed that the BDA leadership, whose input over a year we have valued, have chosen to walk away at this time."

No confidence

Conservative Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "The fact that the BBA has had to suspend discussions with the Department of Health shows how dentists have little confidence in the government's proposals.

"The Conservative Party has published its action plan on dentistry which forms a sound basis on which to bring NHS dentistry back to the High Street.

"When the Conservative plan was published in October, Ian Wylie the Chief Executive of the BDA said our proposals were a useful contribution to an area in which progress must be made."

Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary Paul Burstow said: "The longer the contract negotiation drags on, the more the nation's teeth will suffer.

"The bad treatment that dentists suffered when they negotiated their last contract with the Conservatives makes the suspicion felt by dentists understandable.

"That legacy should not hamper negotiations that put NHS dentists back on the path to recovery.

"It is vital that the new contract delivers a service that concentrates on prevention and ends the fill and drill culture of the old contract."