Bognor Regis Patients To Be Part Of A New NHS Pilot Scheme
Dental patients in Bognor Regis are set to play an important role in the formation of a new NHS dental contract after Oasis Dental Care was chosen to participate in a new NHS pilot scheme.
Oasis Dental Care is one of 29 new practices to join the scheme, which began in 2011 and involves 70 surgeries across the UK.
The pilot schemes are very important, as they provide dentists and patients with the opportunity to try new systems and policies before they come into play officially; the government is working with dental organisations to identify problems with the current contract and find new and better ways of providing dental care.
One of the main factors of the scheme is payment for dentists; at the moment, dentists are paid according to the number of courses of dental treatment they provide, but ministers have criticised the system for contributing to a ‘drill and fill culture’.
One of the new proposals is to pay dentists according to the number of patients they treat and the results they achieve.
Dentists participating in the pilot scheme will also be trialling a traffic light system to inform people how well they are doing with their oral hygiene; the aim is to encourage people to take better care of their teeth and gums to reduce the risk of them developing gum disease and tooth decay.
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