75% of Dentists in Wales thinking of leaving dentistry
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- Published: Monday, 18 September 2017 07:32
- Written by News Editor
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Three quarters of dentists in Wales have thought about leaving the profession according to a NHS Digital report. Nearly three quarters of dentists who provide both services and practice in Wales have recently considered leaving dentistry. BDA Wales claimed “savage pay cuts” are having a major impact on morale and the ability to recruit to the industry.
Morale amongst dentists is falling across Wales with many thinking of leaving the profession, according to a new report by NHS Digital survey covering 2015/16. The report showed a sharp difference between the number of service provider practitioners in England where less than half said they had thought about leaving the profession.
Only just over a third of Welsh service practitioner dentists said they felt good about their jobs compared to a Wales/England average of 51%, the figures showed. The BDA pointed to new figures from NHS Digital which showed taxable income for Welsh high street NHS dentists were continuing to decline, with a fall of nearly 35% in real terms since 2006.
Welsh General Dental Practice Committee Chair, Katrina Clarke, said: “A decade of savage pay cuts in dentistry have had real consequences in Wales. Our patients have felt the impact, as it’s hit our capacity to recruit and retain the best staff in the NHS and to invest in practices and equipment. The morale of this profession is on the floor.” She urged the Welsh Government to halt the decline and lift a dentist pay cap.
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