NHS dental professionals in Wales to receive a bonus
NHS dental professionals in Wales are set to receive a bonus payment, the Welsh Government has confirmed.
The Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, confirmed that a bonus payment for NHS staff, which was announced recently in recognition of the Herculean pandemic response, will cover dental workers. The response comes after the British Dental Association in Wales sought clarification from the health minister.
The government has now clarified that all NHS dental teams will be eligible for the bonus payment but it is not yet clear how the payments will be made or how much they will amount to. Further details will be released in due course and information will be provided in the upcoming Welsh Health Circulation.
News of the payment will be welcomed by dental teams, which have been working throughout the pandemic to ensure that patients have access to emergency care. Dental services have been running during lockdowns to offer urgent treatment for patients and practices are now working through backlogs to make more appointments available for routine and non-urgent procedures.
Thousands of people all over the UK have had appointments cancelled to ensure that priority cases are addressed promptly and protect staff and patients through social distancing.
NHS pay is currently up for discussion in England and workers are expecting further details to emerge in the coming weeks.
Join this Discussion