The Smoking Gun in Suffolk Dental Shambles
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- Published: Monday, 01 December 2025 10:36
- Written by Peter Ingle
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There is good news and not so good news about the University of Suffolk University Community Interest Company Dental (CIC). As reported in GDPUK, all is not well at the CIC and teaching establishment.
On the one hand, the beta version of former CDO Sara Hurley’s vision for the future of primary dental care does have a functional website again. On the other, GDPUK has now seen the Freedom of Information request (FOI) that may have bought matters there to a head, and sheds some light on the reasons behind the reported imminent departure of Dr Hurley.
While the Chancellor’s figures at the recent budget made for grim headlines, the numbers coming out of Ipswich are in their own way just as dire.
The FOI to Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) started by asking what the contract size was. It is a block contract which started at £2.2 million and has now been updated to nearly £2.4 million, a sum that would buy about 68,500 UDA’s at £35 each.
The second question asked what the delivery had been in the last financial year. During 2024/2025 the contract had delivered 2,560 sessions with 4,424 patients seen. On that basis seeing each patient had cost of over £540 each patient.
The FOI went on to ask if the contract had been subjected to clawback for under delivery. In response the ICB explain that the contract is not subject to clawback and indeed includes provision for the provider to retain up to £500,000 underspend each year which is to be used to support improvement of the oral health of the local population.
There was also a question asking what number of urgent courses had been provided in comparison to projections. In response the ICB explained that the contract sets a minimum of 350 urgent / unscheduled appointments per month. The service has not been fully established in terms of staffing during the first full year. However 985 urgent cases have been processed by Compass in 2024/2025, which equates to delivering less than three months of the contracted number. This may explain the reports that the local CDS have had to help out.
The final question asked if the contract has additional Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and if these have been achieved. The response was that the contract included provision for KPIs but that they were “in the process of being reviewed.”
The £4.7 million facilities were only officially opened by His Royal Highness, The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO, in March 2025.
GDP’s delivering NHS care, even allowing for the recent marginal changes, and assuming a generous UDA rate, must wonder what they would have to do, or who they would have to know, to be able to get such generous and flexible working arrangements.
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