Centralised dental initiative implementation
Centrally planned dental initiatives failing to increase activity or influence local behaviour due to mixed experiences.
96 items
7 sources
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
Committee recommendation
100match
#23 - Centrally planned dental initiatives failed to increase activity or influence local behaviour
The dental recovery plan’s four main initiatives were centrally planned by NHSE and DHSC with instructions given to commissioners as to how to carry them out.65 The plan’s delivery, therefore, was heavily reliant on ICBs implementing these initiatives at a local level and delivery by dental practices. The NAO’s report notes that ICB’s had “mixed experiences” of engaging...
Matched on
terms: dental, initiative
Committee recommendation
91match
#14 - Dental recovery plan failing to deliver expected treatments, with initiatives showing poor progress
The NAO’s report found that the plan was not on track to deliver the expected number of additional courses of treatment.37 When the report was published in November 2024: • fewer new patients had been treated under the NPP than in the equivalent period in the previous year; • no data was available on the UDA uplift; 38...
Matched on
terms: dental, initiative
Committee recommendation
87match
#24 - National mobile dental van initiative proved ineffective; no Integrated Care Boards invested
The idea of identifying ICBs to commission mobile dental vans seems a particular example of an ineffective interaction between a national policy and an appropriate measure on the ground. NHSE and DHSC identified twelve ICBs to deliver the initiative,69 but none of these ICBs have since chosen to invest in a dental van.70 DHSC acknowledged that ICBs know...
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terms: dental, initiative
Committee recommendation
83match
#17 - Limited progress and insufficient data for evaluating other dental recovery plan initiatives
In terms of the other initiatives, NHSE confirmed that it is too early to say whether the uplift to £28 minimum UDA value has had any impact.46 It said that it will only be after the year end that data will be available on the UDA uplift.47 For ‘golden hellos’, as of February 2025 only 39 (less than...
Matched on
terms: dental, initiative
Committee recommendation
83match
#4 - Articulate improved central-local coordination and support for ICBs in future NHS dentistry plans.
The dental recovery plan relied on centrally planned and imposed initiatives that ultimately failed to positively influence the amount of care delivered by dental practices. The dental recovery plan set out national initiatives that relied on take–up and delivery at a local level, hoping to influence the behaviour of individual dental practices. This approach ultimately failed, with the...
Matched on
terms: dental, initiative
Committee recommendation
83match
#2 - Publish a detailed evaluation of the dental recovery plan's spending, initiatives, and impact on NHS dentistry...
The dental recovery plan was never going to deliver its headline ambition that everyone who needs to see an NHS dentist would be able to, and has failed even to deliver the hoped for 1.5 million additional courses of treatment in 2024–25. The plan’s initial promise to expand access in 2024–25 so that everyone who needed to see...
Matched on
terms: dental, initiative
Committee recommendation
82match
#15 - Acknowledgement of dental recovery plan failure and inability to quantify additional treatments
At our session in February 2025 DHSC acknowledged that whilst the concept behind the initiatives were “entirely reasonable” the initiatives in the plan had ultimately not been successful, and that one—the new patient premium—”clearly failed”.40 NHSE also agreed that the plan had been unsuccessful but noted that overall UDA delivery for 2024–25 is on track to be about...
Matched on
terms: dental, initiative
Committee recommendation
69match
#13 - The 2024 dental recovery plan introduced four distinct headline initiatives
The 2024 dental recovery plan included four headline initiatives, which aimed to provide an additional 1.5 million courses of treatment at a cost of £200 million in 2024–25.34 Funding for these initiatives would be drawn from anticipated underspends in the 2024–25 dental budget.35 These initiatives were: • the new patient premium (NPP): in 2024–25, participating practices could receive...
Matched on
terms: dental, initiative
Committee recommendation
66match
#18 - Dental recovery plan ambition misaligned with targets, failing to ensure universal access
The initial announcement of the dental recovery plan claimed that its aim was to “significantly expand access so that everyone who needs to see a dentist will be able to”.51 However, that ambition was never aligned to the actual targets of the plan, as an additional 1.5 million courses of treatment would have left overall delivery in 2024–25...
Matched on
terms: dental
PFD report
65match
John Fallon
Care homes lack routine speech and language therapy assessments for denture changes, leading to unsuitable diets and increased choking risk due to delayed dental services. Furthermore, care homes do not routinely have suction machines for choking emergencies.
Matched on
terms: dental
Committee recommendation
64match
#22 - Integrated Care Boards hold delegated responsibility and flexibilities for local dental service commissioning
Responsibility for commissioning dental services was delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) in April 2023.62 Within the national dental contractual framework, ICBs have some flexibilities that NHSE says should help them to tailor services to meet specific population needs.63 This includes the ability to commission additional services, and to support practices that receive lower payments for each UDA...
Matched on
terms: dental, initiative
PFD report
61match
Bronwyn Williams
An urgent dental referral was sent by slow postal service, and the subsequent maxillofacial appointment was significantly delayed for nearly seven weeks due to cancellation and rescheduling.
Matched on
terms: dental
PFD report
57match
Patrick Kelly
Care centres fail to prioritise dental hygiene and services, leading to potentially worsened conditions and lacking policies for managing missed appointments or identifying dental care needs.
Matched on
terms: dental
PFD report
57match
Barry Lall
The General Dental Council's practice of publishing extensive, detailed allegations on its website for unconcluded cases can cause significant mental health distress to practitioners who are contesting them.
Matched on
terms: dental
Committee recommendation
57match
#9 - Significant funds recovered from dental contracts due to under-delivered care.
The NAO report reflects this last point, finding that in 2022–23 £479 million was recovered from dental contracts where practices had not delivered the full amount of care that they had been contracted for.17
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terms: dental
Committee recommendation
53match
#11 - Uncertainty surrounds timeframe for fundamental NHS dental contract reforms, hindering access improvements
DHSC told us that it believed that those reforms “made a useful difference” and were a “step in the right direction”.21 We note, however, that the NAO report found that it saw no evidence of a full evaluation of these reforms.22 NHSE said that it recognised since the 2022 reforms that further reform is “absolutely fundamental”.23 The new...
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terms: dental
PHSO casework decision
53match
P-003192 - A dental practice in the Somerset area
Ms L complains the Practice missed opportunities to treat and diagnose her periodontal (gum) disease and failed to follow specialist advice to manage it.
Matched on
terms: dental
PHSO casework decision
53match
P-003471 - A dental practice in the South Ribble area
Miss L complains about the denture the Practice fitted and that it did not fix the problem. She also complains about the information in the referral to the dental hospital.
Matched on
terms: dental
Committee recommendation
52match
#25 - NHS dental contract uses Units of Dental Activity to measure treatment complexity
Under the current NHS dental contract, dentists are contracted to deliver a certain number of Units of Dental Activity (UDAs). Based on current treatment bands, there are six different levels of UDAs that a treatment can attract depending on the complexity of the treatment. Simple treatment such as a regular check–up counts as one UDA whereas the most...
Matched on
terms: dental
Committee recommendation
52match
#20 - Additional dental recovery plan costs deemed affordable due to significant budget underspends
The £200 million assumed cost of the dental recovery plan was to be drawn from expected underspends in the dental budget for 2024–25.57 As there was an under–spend of £392 million in 2023–24, NHSE and DHSC said that this additional cost would be affordable within the overall dental budget, and was not material to the delivery of the...
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
52match
PSOW-202102655 - A Dental Practice in the area of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Mrs C complained that the Practice failed to undertake adequate and appropriate monitoring of the condition of her teeth following root canal treatment (“RCT”) in April 2016. She also complained that she did not receive prompt and appropriate treatment when complications arose following that RCT. The Dentist who carried out the treatment has since left the Practice. The...
Matched on
terms: dental
PFD report
49match
Ivan O’Neill
Inadequate patient monitoring due to a frail, restless patient being out of sight, combined with an insufficiently sensitive dialysis alarm, delayed detection of a critical bleed.
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classifier match
PPO recommendation
48match
The Chief Executives of HMPPS, NHS England and NHS Wales
The Chief Executives of HMPPS, NHS England and NHS Wales should write to the Ombudsman setting out what they have done to satisfy themselves that the dental services provided by Time for Teeth (TfT) in prisons in England and Wales are safe and fit for purpose, including that: • a dedicated dental software system, which meets the professional...
Matched on
terms: dental
Committee recommendation
48match
#1 - Committee heard evidence on NHS dentistry and the dental recovery plan.
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE) on NHS dentistry and the dental recovery plan.1
Matched on
terms: dental
PHSO casework decision
48match
P-002024 - A dental practice in the Kensington and Chelsea area
Ms A complains the dentist did not examine or operate on her teeth properly. She says it refused to refund fees for fixed braces and removed her and her son from the Practice's list of patients.
Matched on
terms: dental
PHSO casework decision
48match
P-002056 - A dental practice in the Croydon area
Mrs O complains the Practice gave her misleading information before she had treatment. She says if she had known the truth, she would not have gone ahead with the treatment.
Matched on
terms: dental
PHSO casework decision
48match
P-002786 - A dental practice in the Leicestershire area
Miss H complains the Practice did not remove her tooth during an emergency appointment when she had intense pain.
Matched on
terms: dental
PHSO casework decision
48match
P-003484 - A dental practice in Essex area
Mr R complains about the Practice's decision not to refer him for specialist treatment and to remove him from the Practice register.
Matched on
terms: dental
PHSO casework decision
48match
P-003673 - A dental practice in the Breckland area
Mr A complains about the lack of treatment he received from 2022 to 2023 with regards to his fillings.
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
48match
PSOW-202403027 - A Dental Practice in the area of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Miss X complained about the care she received from the Practice during and following root canal treatment. Miss X said she had complained to the Practice but no formal response had been provided to her. The Ombudsman found that the Practice had not considered Miss X’s email as a formal complaint and it had not therefore addressed Miss...
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
48match
PSOW-202406333 - A Dental Practice in the area of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Miss B complained that a Dental Practice in the area of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board had removed her from its patient list after she raised concerns with it about dental charges. The Ombudsman found that the dental charges were for private treatment, so fell outside of her remit. Miss B was signposted to the Dental Complaints Service...
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
48match
PSOW-202500827 - A Dental Practice in the area of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Ms A complained that the Practice had not fully responded to her complaints regarding care and treatment supplied over a number of years. Following assessment of the complaint, the Ombudsman decided that some of Ms A’s complaints were out of time for consideration. Ms A had, however, approached the Practice with more recent complaints which had not been...
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terms: dental
IMB recommendation
48match
Gatwick IRC (2021)
The planned dental suite should be implemented and on-site dental services begun (section 6.2).
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
48match
PSOW-202402661 - A Dental Practice in the area of Swansea Bay University Health Board
Mr C who had complained to the Dental Practice about the poor fitting dentures that he had paid for, was unhappy that in a telephone conversation the Dental Practice had informed him that he had been “struck off their register” due to a breakdown of trust. Mr C, who had been refunded the cost of his treatment, said...
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
48match
202408340 - A Dental Practice in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board area
C complained about being de-registered from their dental practice. C also complained that the practice failed to handle their complaint reasonably. Due to a broken tooth, C phoned for an emergency appointment and was told they could attend the same day. However when C arrived, they were given a temporary substance to place over the tooth until an...
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
47match
PSOW-202001682 - A Dental Practice in the area of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Ms A complained about the care she received from 2016 onwards from a dentist (“the First Dentist”) based at the Dental Practice and questioned whether it was of an adequate standard. She also remained unhappy with the First Dentist’s handling of her complaint. The Ombudsman’s investigation concluded that the care provided to Ms A by the First Dentist...
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
47match
201101191 - A Dental Practice, Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board
Mrs C visited her dentist to have a crown checked that had been causing her pain. After treatment, Mrs C complained that the dentist had extracted a perfectly healthy crown and had failed to give her any anaesthetic at the initial attempt to extract the crown. Mrs C said that after the dentist had pulled a couple of...
Matched on
terms: dental
PFD report
45match
Johan Pambou
The GP practice lacked an adequate system to action hospital letters, leading to missed vaccinations. Concerns were also raised about the availability of essential vaccines and GPs' knowledge of how to access them.
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classifier match
PFD report
45match
Ann Stillwell
The Commissioner failed to authorise essential 1:1 care for a patient at high risk of falls, despite it being the only identified method to mitigate her specific risks.
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classifier match
CQC action
44match
Benthorn Lodge
The provider must ensure that people are supported to access regular dental care and maintain their oral health.
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terms: dental
PPO recommendation
44match
The Head of Healthcare
The Head of Healthcare should: • examine the waiting time in this case with the dental provider and identify any specific issues that led to a delay in this case; and • review the current waiting time list for dental appointments with a view to ensuring they are in line with contractual expectations.
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terms: dental
PHSO casework decision
44match
P-003245 - Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Mr T complains the dental hospital at the Trust wrongly discharged him from the service without any follow up, with an ongoing infection that needed further treatment and care.
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terms: dental
PHSO casework decision
44match
P-003761 - Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Mr H complains about delays in dental treatment caused by the Trust’s handling of his referral and helpline calls between April and December 2024.
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terms: dental
PHSO casework decision
44match
P-002755 - A dental practice in the City of Westminster area
Mrs O complains the Practice gave her new dentures between July and September 2023, despite recommending she see a private specialist instead. She complains the dentures did not fit and were not fit for purpose.
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terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
44match
PSOW-202200241 - A Dental Practice in the area of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Ms X complained to the Practice on behalf of Ms Y on 14 December 2021. Ms X complained to the Ombudsman on 6 April 2022 as the Practice had failed to respond to the complaint. The Ombudsman contacted the Practice as she was concerned about the length of time it has taken to conclude its investigation. The Practice...
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
44match
PSOW-202203142 - A Dental Practice in the area of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
The Ombudsman found that the concerns were investigated and responded to by the Health Board. The Health Board’s response stated that the Dental Practice had apologised to Mr X, but he said it had not. Following contact from the Ombudsman’s office, the Dental Practice agreed, and immediately took action, to formally write to Mr X to offer its...
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
44match
PSOW-202204027 - A Dental Practice in the area of Swansea Bay University Health Board
Mrs T complained that the Dental Practice wrote to her and informed her that she had been removed from its patient list on the basis she had been rude and aggressive. Mrs T further complained that despite her writing to the Practice to reconsider the decision, she had not received a response. The Ombudsman was concerned that Mrs...
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
44match
PSOW-202400599 - A Dental Practice in the area of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Mr C complained about the care he received from the Practice. Mr C said that the Practice failed to discuss his treatment with him in detail or tell him that the person who would carry out the treatment would be a dental therapist, rather than a dentist. Mr C also complained that the Dental Therapist used amalgam (a...
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
44match
PSOW-202402584 - A Dental Practice in the area of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Mr A complained that a dental practice had not provided treatment for an issue with his front tooth. He said that he had made a complaint regarding this but had not received a response as the dental practice had closed and contact was unable to be made with the dentist that had treated him. The Ombudsman found that...
Matched on
terms: dental
LGO / SPSO decision
44match
202303671 - A Dental Practice in the Grampian NHS Board area
C complained about the care and treatment provided to them by their dental practice. C complained about a tooth extraction and the potential failure to fully remove the root of the tooth. The dentist performed an x-ray and examined C’s mouth but did not identify any evidence of infection or retained tooth or bone. We took independent advice...
Matched on
terms: dental