Welsh Contract Stand Off: Any Patient, Any Practice?
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- Published: Friday, 13 June 2025 09:04
- Written by Peter Ingle
- Hits: 2100
The already fractious relationship between those remaining Welsh dentists with NHS contracts and their government, is getting worse, as both sides reinforce their positions.
With an established Labour government, close ties with NHS England, and a contract sharing some similarities with the English version, the results of this battle are unlikely to be contained by Offa’s Dyke.
As the Welsh government seeks to impose major contractual changes that will further erode practices’ autonomy and goodwill, the BBC has picked up on the dispute. Their headline “Patients may be seen by any dental surgery,” describes a feature seen by critics as a negative, but by the scheme’s supporters, as an advantage. The BBC explained that patients will not have a ‘regular’ practice, and that check-ups for those with stable oral health will be less frequent.
To the Welsh Government this is a clever scheme to improve access and offer care to those currently missing out, all without adding to costs or needing more workforce. The BDA believe the opposite will happen.
The plans, as described in this news item,, will also involve patient charge changes, with a 20% increase in examinations from £20 to £24.75 Health Minister Jeremy Miles, remains determined to push the changes through, even claiming that, “It will make NHS dentistry more attractive to dentists.”
The BBC spoke to patient Jody Pegler who has been fortunate enough to attend the same practice in Newbridge for over 30 years. As a wheelchair user, he foresaw a variety of problems resulting from his wife, child, and self, possibly being allocated to different practices.
Jody’s dentist Dr Harj Singhrao did not disagree. He described the changes as potentially “devastating” and spoke of patients who looked after their oral health, being “punished.”
The BBC’s vox pop that followed provided mixed opinions, but BDA spokesperson Lauren Harrhy predicted reduced access, and believed that most people benefitted from regular oral health checks. She could also see the loss of continuity of care leading to more dentists quitting the NHS.
Both the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru, shared this view, saying that the proposals could actually result in more dentists leaving the NHS.
For the BDA, this could be an existential battle for its members with NHS contracts. Having briefly acknowledged the worthy goals, they are clear that this plan is not the way to achieve them. Indeed, the proposals are “a leap in the dark” which could set off a “wholesale exodus” of the workforce and destroy NHS dental provision in Wales.
To back this up the BDA have published their recent survey of dentists asked about the plans. Now Jeremy Miles will not be able to say that he wasn’t warned if he oversees the demise of NHS dentistry in Wales.
Only 2% of respondents thought the changes would support sustainability of the service. The same number thought that they would improve both the population’s health and continuity of care. A mere 6% saw value for money for taxpayers.
Trouble appears to be brewing with or without these particular changes. 42% of dentists indicated that they would not go back to working under the old target based system, and 72% would not be willing to work under the proposed reforms. To ram the point home, 73% expected to reduce their NHS commitment if the changes are imposed next year, and 64% were considering going fully private.
The Welsh government has not yet blinked. The changes seem likely to be fast tracked thorough the Senedd with little scrutiny, and put into action in 2026. Despite claiming the changes are the largest in 20 years, the Welsh government has resisted pleas for piloting.
It is not only GDP’s who are on the brink. From the proposals, it seems that the CDS would be expected to do more work, with no increase in funding.
Image Credit: BDA
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