NHS dental workforce data gaps
Inadequate routine data collection on NHS dental workforce numbers, activity, and demand, hindering workforce planning.
169 items
8 sources
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
Committee recommendation
100match
#13 - Improve routine data collection on NHS dental workforce numbers, activity, and demand.
The Government and NHS England must improve the routine data that is collected on the number of NHS dentists and the wider dental team, and the levels of NHS activity they undertake, as well as data on demand, to assist with workforce planning and identifying gaps in provision. This must be addressed in the forthcoming dental recovery plan....
Matched on
terms: dental, gaps, nhs, workforce
Committee recommendation
95match
#31 - NHS dental workforce maldistribution creates shocking regional inequalities in access to care.
It is also clearly the case that NHS dental workforce issues are much more pronounced in some parts of England than others and that this is leading to some shocking regional inequalities in access to dental care.92 At the lowest end of the scale, Somerset ICB delivered 382 courses of treatment per 1,000 people in the region, whereas...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs, workforce
Committee recommendation
95match
#29 - NHS dental workforce declines, facing over 5,500 unfilled vacancies nationally
The NAO reported that in 2023–24 there were 24,193 dentists providing some NHS dental care in England, a 2% decline on the total since 2019–20.87 NHSE data outlines that there is a large workforce gap that exists in NHS dentistry, with over 5,500 vacancies across the entire dental workforce in March 2024. Many of those vacancies go unfilled...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs, workforce
Committee recommendation
94match
#32 - DHSC and NHSE initiatives seek to improve dental workforce numbers and distribution.
DHSC and NHSE have begun some strands of work that might usefully improve the workforce situation if they are fully implemented. For example, there is a commitment in the NHS long–term workforce plan to increase training places for dentists by 40% by 2031–32.95 There was also a consultation put out last year proposing a tie–in period for dental...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs, workforce
Committee recommendation
94match
#6 - Publish dental graduate tie-in response and outline plans to attract and retain NHS dental professionals.
Without a workforce sufficiently supported to deliver NHS dental care, there will be no future for NHS dentistry and DHSC and NHSE have not yet done enough to address workforce issues. The total number of dentists delivering some NHS dental care is in decline and NHSE data showed that in March 2024 there were over 5,500 vacancies across...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs, workforce
Committee recommendation
90match
#12 - Commission a comprehensive dental workforce survey on NHS staffing and activity levels.
The Government and NHS England should commission a dental workforce survey to understand how many full-time and part-time-equivalent dentists, dental nurses, therapists and hygienists are working in the NHS, and how much NHS and private activity they are undertaking, alongside demographic data such as age and location.
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs, workforce
Committee recommendation
86match
#19 - Absence of dental contract in Workforce Plan reflects lack of priority for reform.
We are concerned that the absence of explicit mention of the dental contract in the Long Term Workforce Plan reflects the lack of priority given by the Government and NHS England to contract reform. We believe it indicates a lack of recognition of the urgent need for reform before any other workforce initiatives can be implemented.
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs, workforce
Committee recommendation
85match
#9 - Thirty-Fifth Report - Introducing Integrated Care Systems
The threadbare provision of NHS funded dental care is a further example of a failure to provide preventative or protective routine care leading to more acute health problems.24 NHS England, rather than ICSs, remains responsible for most of NHS dentistry provision in England.25 In some parts of the country it is impossible to register with a dentist offering...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs, workforce
Committee recommendation
85match
#6 - Thirty-Fifth Report - Introducing Integrated Care Systems
NHS funded dental care is in crisis in some parts of the country, and NHS England’s failure to ensure people can access routine dental care is leading to more acute dental health problems. NHS England, rather than ICSs, remains responsible for most NHS dentistry but in some parts of the country it is impossible to find a dentist...
Matched on
terms: dental, gaps, nhs
Committee recommendation
83match
#28 - Current UDA-contract system unfit for purpose in NHS dental services.
The current UDA-contract system is not fit for purpose, and urgent reform is needed to boost recruitment and retention in NHS dental services. We will return to this issue in a forthcoming inquiry into dental services.
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
82match
#3 - Explain how DHSC and NHSE will strengthen dental analytical capabilities and implement business-critical changes in practice.
DHSC and NHSE’s modelling of what might be achieved, and how much this would cost was wrong and it took too long to identify the error, raising wider concerns about the quality assurance processes in place for such plans. DHSC and NHSE only identified an error in their assumptions about the cost of the new patient premium during...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
82match
#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, nhs
Committee recommendation
77match
#10 - Reinstate requirement for patients to be registered with an NHS dentist
We uphold the recommendation from our predecessors’ 2008 report into Dental Services, that the Department should reinstate the requirement for patients to be registered with an NHS dentist. (Paragraph 55) Workforce
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs, workforce
Committee recommendation
74match
#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, nhs
Committee recommendation
74match
#24 - Provide clarity to ICBs on commissioning flexibilities for NHS dental services and resource targeting.
In light of the current national contracting arrangements, NHS England must provide clarity to ICBs about what flexibilities they have with regard to commissioning NHS dental services and targeting resources according to the needs of their populations.
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
74match
#22 - Gather and review ICB membership data, assessing representation and policy effectiveness for NHS dental services.
We contest the Department’s rejection of the recommendation in our ‘Integrated Care Systems: autonomy and accountability’ report, and reiterate that they should centrally gather information relating to the membership of ICBs, including the specific role of members and their area of expertise. We also recommended the Department should review that information with a view to understanding whether the...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
74match
#20 - Ensure full consultation with professionals on potential graduate NHS dental tie-in policy.
Given the varying views expressed regarding a tie-in for new graduates into NHS dentistry, we urge NHS England and the Government to ensure full consultation with professionals and representative bodies, as they seek to explore the potential merit of such a policy, although its success depends on fundamental contract reform, and should be accompanied with a careers framework....
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
74match
#3 - Roll-out patient information campaign to clarify NHS dental services and entitlements
A lack of public awareness about NHS dental services and how practices operate is contributing to access issues. The Government and NHS England should roll-out a patient information campaign with the aim of improving awareness of how NHS dentistry will work and ensure the public are better informed about what they are entitled to. This should clarify common...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
74match
#2 - Require Government to outline timeline and strategy for universal NHS dental access
We welcome the Government’s ambition for everyone who needs an NHS dentist to be able to access one. This ambition must ensure access within a reasonable timeframe and a reasonable distance. The Government must set out how they intend to realise this ambition and what the timeline will be for delivery. It is vital that this ambition is...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
69match
#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, nhs
LGO / SPSO decision
69match
201305797 - A Dental Practice in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board area
Miss C complained that her dental practice had decided to remove her from their patient list without providing her with treatment for a three month period in accordance with national guidance. She also told us that she made a complaint to the practice in 2012 and that she had not been told the outcome. We found that, although...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
LGO / SPSO decision
69match
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, nhs
Committee recommendation
69match
#11 - NHS dentist headcount does not reflect actual NHS work or address access issues
The Government states that the number of NHS dentists has increased over the past year. However, while the headcount has gone up over the past year, it has gone down over the past three years, and moreover headcount alone does not reflect how much NHS work these dentists are undertaking. We heard repeatedly that a lack of dentists...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
68match
#10 - Thirty-Fifth Report - Introducing Integrated Care Systems
However, NHS England was unable to tell us how many more dentists it expected these reforms to produce, or by when they would appear. It told us that a sustainable solution required further engagement with the dental profession on the longer-term elements such as workforce and contract reform.29 NHS England wrote to us following our evidence session to...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs, workforce
Committee recommendation
65match
#27 - Significant pay gap between NHS and private dentistry causes under-provision of care
DHSC told us that even with these uplifts to UDA rates, there is still a large gap between what dentists are earning through NHS work compared with the larger amounts they can make in the private sector.80 It described this as the “fundamental problem” facing NHS dentistry and commented that it was perfectly reasonable for dentists to choose...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
65match
#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, nhs
Committee recommendation
65match
#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, nhs
Committee recommendation
65match
#25 - ICBs' delegated responsibility for dental services offers opportunities for local improvement.
ICBs have been delegated responsibility for commissioning dental services by NHS England. They offer an opportunity to improve access locally, better integrate services around patients and address inequalities.
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
65match
#23 - Provide evidence on the effectiveness of initiatives for commissioning local dental services to ICBs.
We welcome the initiatives outlined by the Chief Dental Officer to help ICBs commission dental services in a way that best meets the needs of their local populations. NHS 36 NHS dentistry England should provide evidence of the effectiveness of these initiatives, so that ICBs can see for themselves which options they could most usefully pursue and best...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
65match
#15 - Ensure reformed dental contract fully utilises skills of the entire dental team.
The Government, NHS England and ICBs must ensure that the reformed contract ensures that full use is made of the skills of the whole dental team. (Paragraph 73) NHS dentistry 35
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
65match
#8 - Urgently implement fundamentally reformed dental contract, moving away from UDA system
We welcome the Government’s recognition of the need for dental contract reform. The Department and NHS England must urgently implement a fundamentally reformed dental contract, characterised by a move away from the current UDA system, in favour of a system with a weighted capitation element, which emphasises prevention and person-centred care. This should be based on the learnings...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
65match
#7 - Urgently implement fundamental dental contract reform to address access crisis
Fundamental reform of the dental contract is essential and must be urgently implemented, not only to address the crisis of access in the short-term, but to ensure a more sustainable, equitable and prevention-focussed system for the future. We are concerned that any further delay will lead to more dentists leaving the NHS and exacerbate the issues patients are...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
PPO recommendation
65match
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, nhs
LGO / SPSO decision
65match
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, nhs
LGO / SPSO decision
65match
PSOW-202304109 - An NHS Independent Provider Dental Practice
Ms C complained that the dental practice failed to respond to communication, in particular a complaint she raised in May 2023. The Ombudsman found that the dental practice overlooked Ms C’s initial complaint which was received via email. She said that this caused distress and frustration to Ms C. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
LGO / SPSO decision
64match
201404670 - A Dentist in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board area
Mr C attended his dentist for a routine check-up. During this check-up the dentist intended to scale and polish Mr C's teeth (a procedure where tartar build-up is removed from the gumline). Mr C refused, as a previous treatment had caused sensitivity to his teeth. The dentist advised Mr C that if he was unable to perform the...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
Committee recommendation
61match
#17 - Department's further education workforce data collection is incomplete, undermining projection reliability.
The Department has overseen further education colleges since July 2016 with further education colleges reclassified into the public sector in November 2022. Its further education workforce data collection started in 2020, and while this was able to cover 94% of colleges in 2022–23, this compares to 99.7% of schools providing the Department with workforce data. As such, the...
Matched on
terms: workforce
LGO / SPSO decision
60match
201701087 - A Dentist in the Highland NHS Board area
Mr C complained to us that staff at the dental practice unreasonably informed him that he was exempt from NHS charges for dental treatment. Mr C said that, when he started a course of dental treatment at the practice, he told the staff that he was in receipt of carer's allowance and they completed a form and said...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
LGO / SPSO decision
60match
201103689 - A Dental Practice in the Grampian NHS Board area
Miss C complained that her dentist had removed her from the dental practice's list of patients. However, dentists can do this, as long as they give three months' notice to the patient (unless the patient has shown violence). As the dentist had given adequate notice, there were no grounds for us to uphold the complaint. Related reading View...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
LGO / SPSO decision
60match
201101095 - A Dental Practice, Highland NHS Board
Mrs C's son (Mr A) was removed from his dental practice’s list of patients. When he attended a new dentist, he was told that he needed at least nine fillings. Mrs C complained that the original dentist had provided inadequate dental treatment to her son resulting in the need for several fillings. The original dentist maintained that Mr...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
PFD report
57match
Stephen Barton
The NHS lacks a system for tracking non-cancer outpatient appointments, unlike cancer cases. Implementing such a system could prevent unnecessary deaths and improve administrative efficiency.
Matched on
terms: nhs
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
PHSO casework decision
57match
P-001210 - A dental practice in the Leeds area
Mr D complained about the care and treatment he received from the practice between 2016 and 2018, saying that it did not identify health issues he developed in his teeth and gums.
Matched on
terms: dental
Committee recommendation
57match
#17 - Unacceptable backlog of Overseas Registration Exam applications hinders NHS dentist numbers.
The backlog of applications for the Overseas Registration Exam is unacceptable and resolving this represents an opportunity in the short term to increase the number of dentists working in the NHS, and therefore create more appointments to enable patients to access much-needed services.
Matched on
terms: nhs
Committee recommendation
57match
#16 - Advancing Dental Care Review shows potential but immediate incentives needed for supply and demand.
We support the implementation of the work of the Advancing Dental Care Review. Centres for Dental Development could have the potential to change how we approach training dentists in the UK to meet the needs of the populations who most require care. However, these are in their early stages and their outputs will need to be assessed. We...
Matched on
terms: dental
Committee recommendation
56match
#18 - Work with GDC to clear Overseas Registration Exam backlog and speed up international registration.
The Government must work with the General Dental Council to ensure the backlog of applications for the Overseas Registration Exam is cleared in a timely manner, and to speed up changes to the process of international registration for new applicants seeking to work in the NHS.
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
PHSO casework decision
56match
P-003119 - Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board
Mr K complains the ICB lost his Independent Funding Request application made in February 2022 for NHS dental funding to support the root canal work he needed.
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
PHSO casework decision
56match
P-002371 - A dental practice in the Bexley area
Mrs O complains the Practice refused to give her a new extended bridge between June and October 2022. She says it said the only option to fix her pain was tooth extraction and a denture. She also complains the dentures fitted in October 2022 kept falling out and the Practice would not fit new ones for free under...
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
PHSO casework decision
56match
P-003540 - A dental practice in the Leeds area
Miss A complains the Practice would not complete her course of NHS orthodontist treatment by permanently filling a gap between her teeth. She also complains about the way the Practice communicated with her about its decision.
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs
PHSO casework decision
56match
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.
Matched on
terms: dental, nhs