The £20,000 Bonus for Dentists: A New Initiative to Improve Access to NHS Dentistry in England

The National Health Service (NHS) in England has been facing a significant challenge in providing adequate dental care to its population, particularly in areas with the poorest access to NHS dentistry. To address this issue, the government has announced a new initiative, offering a £20,000 bonus to up to 240 dentists who agree to work in these areas for three years. This payment, referred to as a ‘golden hello,’ is part of a wider plan to improve access to NHS dentistry across England.

The bonus scheme is aimed at attracting dentists to work in ‘dental deserts,’ where there is the poorest access to NHS care. However, the plan also includes top-up payments for all dentists to take on new NHS patients. An additional £15 will be given for each patient who has not visited a dentist for two years, with the cash incentive increasing to up to £50 for more complex work. The government hopes these incentives will lead to an additional 1.5 million treatments being given over the next 12 months.

The current state of NHS dentistry was recently brought to public attention when hundreds of people queued outside a new dental practice in Bristol to register as NHS patients. A BBC investigation in 2022 found that nine in ten NHS dental practices across the UK were not accepting new adult patients for treatment on the NHS. The lack of NHS appointments has led people to travel long distances in search of treatment, extract their own teeth without anesthesia, or make their own improvised dentures.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins acknowledged the frustration of not being able to access an NHS dentist and expressed her determination to deliver faster, simpler, and fairer access to NHS dentistry for patients. To support the proposal, an extra £200m will be invested on top of the £3bn currently spent each year. However, the British Dental Association (BDA) has criticized the plan, stating that it does not go far enough and will not halt the exodus from the workforce nor offer hope to millions struggling to access care.

The crisis in NHS dentistry is not limited to England. In 2022, Labour announced its own policy of supervised teeth-brushing for three-to-five-year-olds and offered incentives for new dentists to work in areas with the greatest need. Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting accused the Conservatives of neglect and only addressing the issue now that there is an election coming.

To further improve access to dental care, the plan includes other steps such as dental teams traveling to schools and nurseries to provide fluoride varnish treatments and supported teeth-brushing. Mobile dental services will also be targeted at rural and coastal areas, while water fluoridation will be expanded to new parts of the country to help prevent tooth decay.

The issue of access to NHS dentistry is not a new one. The rising cost of living has had a significant impact on people’s ability to afford dental care. Louise Ansari, head of Healthwatch England, described the plan as a ‘good start,’ but in the long term, more radical solutions are needed. The crisis in NHS dentistry will remain a burning issue until real change is implemented.

In conclusion, the £20,000 bonus for dentists is a new initiative aimed at improving access to NHS dentistry in England, particularly in areas with the poorest access to care. While the bonus scheme and top-up payments for all dentists are expected to lead to an increase in treatments, the BDA and other critics argue that the plan does not go far enough to address the root causes of the crisis in NHS dentistry. The issue is complex and requires a comprehensive solution that addresses the underlying factors contributing to the shortage of dentists and the lack of access to dental care for many people in England.