Minister Fails To Reassure On NHS Targets
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- Published: Thursday, 14 January 2021 21:35
- Written by Chris Tapper
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Despite overwhelming support from MP’s, the Minister for Health and Social Care has failed to reassure the profession that the controversial 45% contract target on NHS dental practices will be overturned.
In the COVID and Dental Services debate in the Commons, introduced by Putney Labour MP Fleur Anderson, Jo Churchill failed to indicate that the 45% target would be scrapped, instead asking for practices to record DNA’s, sickness among staff and any circumstances that might mitigate against the inability for practices to hit their targets.
Ms Anderson called on the Government to recognise that the dentistry is an essential service and that the current targets are “Unattainable and need to be scrapped.” The Cabinet Shadow Minister said that unless the Government acted, they were “Sleepwalking into the biggest oral health crisis since the creation of the NHS.”
She added “We need better targeted financial support to save the sector overall.” The Shadow Minister also called for a ‘national dentistry recovery plan.’
Opening the debate, Ms Anderson called for a national plan for dentistry following the pandemic, dealing with the backlog of appointments and scrapping the 45% NHS target set for the period between January and March. She also called for all dental teams, including receptions, to be given priority access to the COVID vaccinations in line with other medical professionals, as well as expand the business rates holiday to dental practices, backdating it to late March.
A few hours before the debate, the FGDP, the College of General Dental Dentistry and the Royal College of Surgeons of England issued a statement emphasising that “Safety, not activity targets, must be a priority.”
But Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dentistry, Sir Paul Beresford dismissed ‘scaremongering.’ He said “I understand that 60% of the practises are actually meeting these targets. Also, those that are unable to meet the targets can gain dispensation. Scaremongering on safety and surgery is just that - scaremongering. Dentists are medical professionals they are overseen by the CQC and by the GDC. Safety is paramount.” He said the most alarming statistic was that which showed a one third drop in oral cancer detection
Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, highlighted the fact that access to NHS dentists prior to the pandemic was difficult in the city and the COVID crisis had exacerbated the problem. He said that Portsmouth had been “Disproportionately affected” by the arrival of COVID.
Many of the MP’s participating in the debate had spoken to LDC’s and dentists in their areas prior to the Commons session and were fully aware of the problems facing both NHS and private practices.
Labour MP Barry Gardiner highlighted the plight of dental laboratories. He said “There’s been a total lack of investment in dental laboratories and a failure to recruit and train dental technicians.” Mr Gardiner also criticised the poor communication that had taken place during the shutdown, stating that dentists had been treated as an ‘afterthought.’ He emphasised the problems that fallow times bring. “I asked myself at this time what would be the worst thing to impose on dental practises. Very high up on my list would be precisely what the government has decided. To impose targets. The emphasis on targets from the NHS clearly prioritises a metric and finance over patient interest.”
Luton North Labour MP Sarah Owen called for dental workers to be put on a par as frontline medical workers with regard to receiving the COVID vaccines.
Judith Cummins MP felt that the new targets had been ‘imposed’ on the profession and that practices were being forced to prioritise reaching UDA targets. She said this means that vulnerable patients may have no access to dental treatment, because community dentists are too stretched and High Street practices have to prioritise reaching UDA targets.
Don Valley MP Nicholas Fletcher asked when practices could expect the collection of abatement money. He also highlighted that triage is no longer being classed as ‘activity’ and that if practices fall below 36%, they will have to return a large proportion of their NHS income in the form of clawback. He questioned how practices were to meet targets with the population being told to stay at home.
Labour MP Paul Blomfield said that dentistry doesn’t often get the recognition it deserves. “To choose this time to impose new targets without warning or consultation shows a either lack of understanding or lack of regard for the consequences.”
Shadow Health and Social Care Minister Alex Norris said that the 20m lost appointments was a backlog that “We will live with for many years.” He asked Jo Churchill “Surely you would agree that an imposed target is a failure of leadership and it simply won’t do that such a crucial part of our health service are working under arrangements that discomfort them so greatly?”
During her statement, Jo Churchill said “I agree it is challenging to reach 11.25% of an annual quarter in the next three months. I hope to explain how we are how we are ensuring that this is to support patients and I was quite saddened that the support for patients was perhaps a quieter voice in this debate today than the support for the profession. This is only going to work if we support them both. The Minister failed to address the immediate financial crisis and ignored calls for the 45% targets to be abandoned. She did, however, addressed future plans. “I hope that all honourable members will understand that my personal view is that transformation in dentistry is necessary, particularly if we are to address those challenges that the pandemic has highlighted, those inequalities, particularly around children’s oral health. I am clear I wish to see a change in the way we approach dentistry and oral health.”
In closing, Fleur Anderson said “the message was loud and clear that dentists cannot reach these targets at the moment this will mean financial insecurity and deep destabilised dental provision that was that already had existing problems.” She added “I respectively respectfully say to the minister that you haven’t heard patient voices. Patients really want their dentist to be there in the future.” Of the Health and Social Care Minister, she said “I respectfully would also say that I don’t think her assurances have provided reassurance.’ She added I would ask her to reflect on this whole debate, to rethink that decision, to get round the table with the British Dental Association and to look again at those targets and to meet me if possible, to talk about this further.”
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