DHSC to Research Dental Practice Costs
- Details
- Published: Wednesday, 07 May 2025 10:44
- Written by Peter Ingle
- Hits: 541
The Department of Health and Social Care is to conduct a research project on the costs of running dental practices in England. The stated aim is to inform and support effective policy development, by providing an up-to-date picture of the key costs drivers, pressures and variables facing practices.
It is intended that the information gathered will be used to better inform future policy, as well as improving understanding of the sustainability and resilience of the current system.
A key part of this research will be a survey to be launched in May 2025, available to all dental practices in England. They will be invited to share what has been described as ‘detailed financial information’ on the costs involved in operating their businesses.
In addition to the survey, the Department of Health and Social Care are also conducting interviews to build some additional qualitative analysis, further support findings and inform future Government policy. Those willing to be interviewed in addition to completing the survey, are asked to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register their interest.
Would be respondents to the survey are advised that:
- Responses will be received anonymously (unless respondents exercise an option to identify themselves).
- The research will be conducted by the Sector Insights & Commercial Strategy Team within the DHSC, independently of policy teams. Responses will remain confidential within that team and be analysed in aggregate. They will not be shared at the individual, practice or company level.
- An analysis from the research will be published publicly on GOV.UK
- This work is separate from the NHSE dental workforce survey.
Both the Local Dental Committee Federation and BDA are encouraging all dental practices to contribute to this survey. The LDC Federation’s statement ended with a request to practices to participate: “We encourage all dental practices to contribute to ensure the Department gains a well-informed, comprehensive and nuanced understanding of how to support the dentistry sector in England. Whether you’re a large operator or a small business, primarily NHS-focused or private, wherever you are in England, your experience can help shape the future of dentistry.”
For the BDA, Shiv Pabary, Chair of the General Dental Practice Committee, has emailed members encouraging them to participate in the exercise. Dealing with one possible objection he wrote: “I entirely understand a reticence to share data about your business and its finance, but this information will be crucial to us establishing evidence that can then be used to push forward with contract reform.” After explaining some of the promised safeguards regarding the data, he added: “The results will not be used for contract management.”
There is nothing new about collecting data on dentist’s expenses, indeed after the Doctors and Dentists review body announces its intended uplift for pay the Department of Health and Social Care alters the figure to take into account its calculations of practice expenses.
Whether embattled GDPs see the latest exercise as a meaningful step towards a new and more workable NHS contract, or the DHSC kicking the can down the road, may influence response rates.
Readers interested in more information or taking part in the interviews should contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
You need to be logged in to leave comments.
Report
My comments