Dental practices are being offered up to £50 extra for every new NHS patient they take on in the latest milestone in the government and NHS’s plan to make millions more dental appointments available.
The new patient premium will mean that participating NHS practices can benefit from payments of either £50 or £15, depending on care, for each new patient treated. This will apply for any patient who has not seen an NHS dentist over the past two years. The level of the payment will depend on the complexity of the treatment required and is on top of existing funding the practice receives for treating patients.
Through the scheme and wider measures in the dental recovery plan – which is backed by £200 million – the government and NHS aim to deliver an extra 2.5 million appointments for patients over the next 12 months.
The plan builds on existing work to improve access to dentistry, with the government investing more than £3 billion each year to support the sector. Last year, 1.7 million more adults and around 800,000 more children saw an NHS dentist compared to the previous year.
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “I want to make access to dentistry faster, simpler and fairer for patients – particularly those who have not been able to see a dentist in the past 2 years.
“This scheme is good for patients and good for dentists. It will see millions more appointments made available for those who need them, while also rewarding those dentists who are taking on new NHS patients.
“It’s all part of our plan to put NHS dentistry on a sustainable footing for the long term and ensure that good oral health is a reality for everyone.”
