BDA warns funding cuts will limit NHS dental services in Scotland
The British Dental Association has warned that funding cuts will limit NHS dental services in Scotland in the future.
Chair of the BDA’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee, David McColl, suggested that some services will be suspended when NHS dental funding is reduced. Fees paid to NHS dentists to help them cope with backlogs caused by the pandemic are being lowered in October.
Mr McColl said that it wouldn’t be too long before patients started to notice that they no longer have access to a full range of NHS dental services due to a reduction in funding. The committee chair added that practices simply will not be to afford to offer some treatments once the cuts come into play. He criticised the health secretary, Humza Yousaf, for saying that there were no more funds available for dentistry and used an example of denture repairs to highlight the issues NHS clinics face. Under the new funding guidelines, practices would be offering the service at a loss, with lab fees higher than the fee received from the government.
To help practices cope in the aftermath of lockdowns and tough restrictions, funding was increased to £1.70 per £1 of NHS dental work undertaken. This figure fell to £1.30 in July 2022 and it is due to decrease to £1.20 from October 8th until December. From April 2023, the fee will be £1.10.
Mr McColl stressed that reducing funding now would be incredibly difficult for dentists, with running costs spiralling and backlogs to work through. He called for urgent talks with the Scottish Government and encouraged them to “up their game” to prevent the NHS from failing.
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