Government real spending on dentistry still falling
- Details
- Published: Tuesday, 12 February 2019 07:55
- Written by News Editor
- Hits: 1922
Figures obtained by GDPUK show that the increased patient charges mean in real terms, spending by the Government has been reduced over a 10 year period. When adjusted for inflation by whichever measure, the fall is more marked.
In reply to a question by Peter Dowd MP, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, health minister, Steve Brine MP, has shown that, in 2017/18, patients’ NHS dental charges amounted to £807m out of a total spend of £2,812m (28.7%). The net spending per head of the population was £36.04.
The BDA’s Chair of General Dental Practice Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen said: "There can be no rose tinting the fact more than £12 has been taken away from the dental care of every man, woman and child in England since 2010.
"These are cuts by stealth, and the public are paying for them through higher charges and longer waiting times.
"We’ve heard fine speeches about investment and prevention, but for NHS dentists the reality of ’do more with less’ is being stretched to breaking point. And patients across England are seeing the result.
"A sustainable service cannot be built on sand. Every penny taken away from dentistry means pain left untreated and preventable conditions left to fester. It’s a false economy that only piles further pressure on our NHS."
The following table shows total gross and net expenditure on NHS primary care dental services in England, total expenditure on such services net of patient charge revenue per head of population and the proportion of patient charge revenue to total expenditure for such services for 2017/18.
|
NHS Dentistry |
2017/18 |
|
Gross expenditure (millions) |
2,812 |
|
Patient Charge Revenue (millions) |
807 |
|
Net Expenditure (millions) |
2,004 |
|
Mid-year population estimate (millions) |
55.6 |
|
Net expenditure per capita |
£36.04 |
|
Patient charge revenue as a percentage of expenditure on total NHS dental services |
28.7% |
Calculations by Stephen Tidman for the BDA show that spending in real terms fell from £2,205m in 2005/06 to £1,979m in 2017/18.
Between these dates patient charge revenue (cash terms) rose as follows in the four countries of the UK:
England £410m to £807m
Wales* £22m to £38m
Scotland* £54m to £71m
N Ireland £17m to £25m
UK £503 to £941m
As a percentage of GDS/PDS spend between 2005/06 and 2017/18, this amounts to:
England 18.6% to 28.7%
Wales* 19.8% to 21.4%
Scotland* 26.3% to 19.7%
N Ireland 21.8% to 19.1%
UK 19.4% to 27.0%
*In Wales and Scotland there is no charge for an Examination
You need to be logged in to leave comments.
Report