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Published: Monday, 09 June 2014 07:25

Written by News Editor

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The Department of Health (DH) has launched an ‘engagement exercise’ on the way forward for reform of the GDP contract. It is particularly aimed at the dental profession and wider dental community, from whom comments are invited. These will influence the next stage of reform, which is expected to start during 2015/16, and will see a limited number of practices testing one or more variants of possible new systems. The consultation runs until the end of July 2014 and the relevant papers can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-dental-contracts

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There are four documents and the first covers:

1. The reasons for reform
2. The elements of NHS dentistry that are not expected to change*
3. Progress and learning from the programme so far
4. Implications for on-going work
5. Evolution not revolution
6. Next steps

*The elements not likely to change are given as:

• Overall expenditure by the NHS on dentistry is not expected to alter as a result of these system changes
• The scope of NHS care is expected to remain unchanged
• It will be a commissioned system where contract remuneration remains capped
• There will be metrics for measuring delivery and there will be financial recovery where there is under-performance
• The current ability to flex the levels of service a practice offers by an agreed variation (temporary or permanent) to the levels of service specified will be retained. Any new remuneration system will have to have this capacity
• Patient charges will be expected to continue to raise a similar proportion of costs and the collection of charges is expected to remain with practices
• The system is expected to continue to allow for appropriate mixing of private and NHS care.

Papers 2, 3 and 4 are those on which comments can be made by clicking on a link on the final page of text (before any annexes).

Paper 2, titled ‘The Clinical Philosophy’, deals with:

1. The development of a care pathway approach to NHS care
2. The development of a preventive care pathway for primary care dentistry
3. Evidence on the preventive pathway approach from the Dental Contract Reform pilots
4. Summary of conclusions and next steps.

Paper 3 titled ‘The measurement of quality and outcomes’ deals with:

1. The principles of measuring quality and outcomes

2.         Quality and outcome indicators

3.         Learning from piloting a Dental Quality and Outcomes Framework (DQOF)

4.         Further development for measuring quality and outcomes.

Paper 4 titled ‘The Remuneration Approach’ deals with:

1. The importance of developing a suitable remuneration model
2. Features of any new system
3. Remuneration based on quality and outcomes
4. Remuneration based on activity, capitation or a blend of capitation and activity
5. Next steps

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