Minister Cautious: LDCs Told - UDAs For Now
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- Published: Friday, 06 June 2025 21:34
- Written by Peter Ingle
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The annual LDC conference may have appeared to those delivering NHS care, as a triumph of hope over experience. The motions, and depending on the stage of the electoral cycle, visiting ministers may be upbeat, but each year for the last two decades, returning delegates have reported on a service under increasing pressure.
This years’ conference marks the first since Labour’s election landslide win of 2024, one that was met with a good deal of optimism by dental teams and their representatives. For 2025 Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, appeared remotely, apologising for not attending in person due to constituency commitments.
He said the government would work to retain those dentists working in the NHS and to that end, was “committed to reforming the dental contract.” He referred to the much announced 700 000 extra urgent appointments and supervised tooth brushing programme. There was support for prevention, which needed to be prioritised, and talk of making fluoridated water available to more people.
The minister told conference that 90% of those seeing an NHS dentist were satisfied or very satisfied, thanked them for their work, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the NHS. The incoming government had, he said, inherited a broken system, and he highlighted the challenge of rural and coastal dental deserts. More registrants needed to deliver NHS care, though his reference to the poorly taken up golden hello scheme, suggested that there was not yet a clear plan for achieving this.
Describing NHS care as a team sport he looked to an increase in use of skill mix and a system that allowed flexible careers for those delivering it.
There were questions for him, one from the Conference chair who explained how he had been forced to re mortgage his family home following clawback.
One question was, if there would be a “decisive break” with the UDA system. Mr Kinnock’s reply was at best cautious, and whilst acknowledging that the UDA based contract was criticised by some, he did not confirm, let alone set a date for the UDA’s retirement.
He recognised the absurdity of huge unmet demand existing at the same time that contract money was being handed back, but failed to give any timeline for reform. This he explained, was because it was a complex issue and the perfect payment system did not exist. He did sow a little optimism by observing that the government’s comprehensive spending review would be published soon, and intimated that it might help matters.
The minister made much of the need to prioritise, and reinforced the pattern of a focus on urgent and acute care, and access, rather than a comprehensive service.
When asked if there was an appetite to increase UDA rates to 40 to 45 pounds to help mitigate rising costs, the minister referred to “multiple fires” across his portfolio and the need to cut coats according to the available cloth. Urgent care and priority groups would come first.
A time frame for negotiations would be given “in due course” and he remained committed to continuous engagement with the BDA. It will not have escaped the LDC delegate’s notice that the last government managed to talk for some years about reforming the UDA contract, rather than replacing it.
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