Latest News from NHS England – Dental patients to benefit from 700,000 extra urgent appointments. The Department of Health and Social Care 21/02/25
The Society welcomes this move to begin to address the dental problems of today; we did, however, pose some early questions to DHSC. We can report that we received answers to the questions, although it would appear that a lot depends on the decisions of the local Integrated Care Boards (ICB). Jason Wong Chief Dental Officer for England added:
This publication report also makes clear the confirmation of the closure of the New Patient Premium scheme in England.
The Government’s manifesto committed to securing 700,000 additional urgent dental care appointments per year for the duration of this parliament. Alongside this, NHS England has been reviewing current urgent dental care provision, with a focus on the underlying challenges in the provision of urgent care in the current contract, including issues related to payment and access for all patients. This analysis suggests that fundamental reform of the contractual approach to urgent care is required, alongside government’s existing commitment to rebuild dentistry for the long term. However, these improvements will take time to ensure proper engagement and consultation, and there is a need to make progress on urgent care access more swiftly from April 2025. This letter sets out the detail and requirements of ICBs in securing additional urgent dental care, following its prioritisation in the NHS 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance. DHSC (2025)
The Society asked:
1) What determines ‘urgent care’ and how will this be managed?
2) How will this be incorporated into the existing service provision or will it be a separate service and
3) How will the wider workforce be utilised as part of this service design and what does it mean for them?
The report focuses on unmet demand and shows the additional Urgent care appointments to be purchased per area. For the full report, you are urged to follow the link https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/arrangements-for-nhs-urgent-primary-dental-care-during-2025-26-and-confirmation-of-the-closure-of-the-new-patient-premium-scheme/