Devon dentist to trial new quality scheme
A dentist from Devon will pilot a new dental scheme, which pays dentists for the quality of treatment, rather than the quantity.
Andrew Curtis, from Castle View dental practice in Tiverton, Devon, will be one of 62 dentists participating in the pilot scheme, which will run across England.
The aim of the pilot scheme is to enable dentists to focus on preventative care and promote long-term improvements in oral health, rather than concentrating on the amount of work they do. Under the current system, which was introduced by the previous Labour government, experts say that quality has been replaced by quantity and dental care has become a “drill and fill culture.”
The dental contract was brought in by the Labour government in 2006 with the aim of promoting preventative dental care; however, a recent survey showed that patients feel that there has been a decline in the quality of care and dentists say that they do not have the time to talk to patients about oral hygiene.
Mr Curtis said that the current system makes dentists feel like they are on a treadmill constantly striving to reach targets; he said that the new system should relieve some of the pressure and enable dentists to spend more time with patients and focus on providing first-class care.
The pilot programme will start in the summer and will run for a year. Lord Howe, Health Minister, said that the new pilot programme is designed to reward dentists on the quality of their work, rather than the quantity; he claims that the new scheme will be a better use of NHS resources and will lead to better standards of oral health in the future.
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