BDA warns that practices are weeks away from collapse without help from Government
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- Published: Tuesday, 14 April 2020 17:15
- Written by News Editor
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The BDA has issued a press release, Dentists: Practices weeks from collapse without rapid action from government which has attracted much media attention. It was based on a self-selected survey in which 71.5% of practices that responded reported they could only remain financially sustainable for 3 months or less, with 1 in 5 (20.4%) estimating they can only survive the month.
The BDA press release[i] followed an article published in the Sunday Times (One in five dental practices going down the tube – this is behind their firewall) and was picked up by the Daily Mail[ii] (Can dentists survive as the lockdown starts to bite? Shocking report reveals a fifth of practices may close within weeks without a government cash lifeline) and many other media outlets.
The survey was a BDA poll of owners UK dental practices, with 2860 practices responding, or 24.3% of an estimated total of 11,800. As a self-selecting survey it is open to bias and should be treated with caution. However, it indicted that large parts of the UK’s dental service were at risk of ‘imminent collapse’ without urgent steps to support small business. The poll suggested that 70% of practices reported that they could only maintain financial viability for a maximum of three months. It noted that those providing predominantly private care were worst affected.
The BDA claims that the survey revealed:
- With all routine care now suspended 71.5% of practices report they can only remain financially sustainable for 3 months or less. 1 in 5 (20.4%) estimate they can only survive the month.
- Less than a third (28.7%) estimate they will be placed to restore pre-pandemic levels of patient access.
- 26% of practices have already attempted to secure a government-backed interruption loan, but 93.4% of applicants were unable to secure credit. 46.7% of those who failed have already had to seek commercial loans to stay afloat, at reported rates of interest of over 20%.
- The vast majority of UK practices are mixed, delivering both NHS and private care in varying proportions. Practices performing a greater share of private work appear most exposed, with 75% of those with low or no NHS commitment (0-25% NHS) stating they will face imminent difficulties in the next three months, falling to 60.7% among those with the highest NHS commitments (75% or more of NHS activity).
While the NHS side of practices have been offered some support by government, the BDA has warned that if those practices with a greater reliance on private work go under whatever service remains will be unable to meet patient demand. They say the private side of dentistry effectively cross subsidises a diminishing NHS budget, with total spend on private care exceeding the UK-wide NHS dental budget every year since 2012.
The BDA is pressing for the full rates relief offered to the retail and hospitality sectors to be extended to all high street practices, and for pledges to simplify and expand the government loan scheme to be expedited. All self-employed dentists, particularly those working in private practice, need access to the support outlined by the Chancellor. Those earning anything above £50,000 are currently entirely excluded.
BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said: “Many practices are now weeks from a cliff edge, saddling themselves with debt they may never be able to repay. It was right to suspend all non-urgent care, but without meaningful support the nation’s dental services face decimation, and no practice can be excluded. Dentistry cannot weather this storm when nearly every surgery relies on private care to stay afloat. If officials let these vital services go to the wall the impact will be felt by patients in every community in Britain.”
[i] https://bda.org/news-centre/press-releases/practices-months-from-collapse-without-rapid-action-from-uk-government
[ii] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8215089/Can-dentists-survive-lockdown-starts-bite.html
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