Lord Howe visits prototype practice
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- Published: Thursday, 09 April 2015 07:55
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More than 60 dental practices around the country have been chosen to pilot the new ‘protoype’ contracts. Health Minister Lord Howe visited one of those, Woodford Dental Care in Essex and spoke to staff about their practice. The owner Len D’Cruz said: “I am very pleased to have the opportunity to be a prototype in the move toward models of preventative care, an approach we have fully embraced from the outset.”
The Department of Health has announced 62 pilot practices will become prototype practices for the NHS contract in England. These contain the UDA (unit of dental activity) measure as well as payments for capitation and quality. There will be two types of prototypes with varying UDA targets.
The British Dental Association (BDA) has pointed out its view is that payment should be based on capitation only. ‘At last we seem to be moving forward on a reformed dental contract, but it is still too early to describe today’s launch as progress,’ Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, said. ‘The BDA believes that the two prototype options on offer are decidedly unambitious, as the department has proved unwilling to make a clean break from discredited activity targets in the shape of the UDA system.
‘Both NHS dentists and their patients deserve a contract with a square focus on prevention, and neither option being tested goes far enough in meeting that objective. It is also vital that practices who took part in the contract pilots, but are not proceeding to prototypes, do not lose out,’ Henrik continued. ‘These practices volunteered in good faith, were given reassurances and have made a significant sacrifice on behalf of their colleagues. As they revert to the tarnished UDA system, it is important that they do not take a big financial hit.We will be reaching out to all the practices that have been involved in the process to date to ensure their voices are heard.’
Visiting the Woodford Dental Care in Essex Health Minister Lord Howe said: “The oral health of the nation has been improving year on year, with some of the lowest tooth decay rates in the world and ever more people accessing an NHS dentist. This is the next step in a seismic shift in dental care to a more preventative approach and paying dentists for supporting good dental health rather than just the number of procedures they undertake.”
Owner of Woodford Dental Care, Mr Len D’Cruz said: “I am very pleased to have the opportunity to be a prototype in the move toward models of preventative care, an approach we have fully embraced from the outset. Our team has worked hard to make the pilot scheme work and will continue to help establish a system that is financially sustainable and ensures the best treatment for patients."
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