Tugmistress
16-Nov-05, 17:28
taken from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2005/11/16135646
Plans to reward NHS dentists
16/11/2005
Dentists committed to the NHS will reap the rewards of the Executive's dental action plan, it was announced today.
Deputy Health Minister Lewis Macdonald outlined NHS services that would require to be provided in order to access the additional millions of pounds of funding.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow's debate on dentistry, Mr Macdonald said:
"Our priority is to deliver our action plan for NHS dentists. By defining what constitutes NHS commitment we have reached a major landmark in that process.
"We believe that a committed NHS dentist is one who treats both children and adults. We want to ensure that the bulk of the new funds go to NHS dentists.
"Of the £295 million in additional funding we have made available, 80 per cent will go directly to high-street dentists. All dentists in Scotland who are committed to providing a service for NHS patients will now be able to access this money - worth tens of thousands of pounds for each dentist.
"My message to dentists and patients across Scotland remains clear. We want to reward dentists for the commitment they show to the NHS and to their patients: and we will ensure public money goes to NHS dentists, rather than those who have opted out.
"To reward dentists who have de-registered all their fee-paying adult NHS patients would be letting down committed NHS dentists. It would not improve access to NHS dentistry nor would it improve our country's oral health - both of which I am focussed on delivering nationwide."
NHS commitment definition:
A practice will need to have at least 500 registered NHS patients per dentist.
Of these 500 patients at least 100 will need to be fee paying adults.
Practices which earn an average of £50,000 or above per dentist will receive 100% of the new allowances.
Practices will be required to maintain or increase the existing NHS patient profile of their practice, otherwise clawback may be effected.
Mechanisms will be put in place to consider representation from practices that consider they have justifiable reasons for not meeting the full criteria and also to recognise the contribution of specialist practices e.g. orthodontic practices. The main problem of access to NHS dentistry is for adult patients who are de-registered and then forced to pay for private treatment. To invest money without setting a threshold for the number of adult NHS patients a dentists must treat would compound this problem, not solve it.
Under our plans, dentists will still be able to treat both NHS and private patients. Those who choose to treat only children and exempt adults will still be entitled to receive: a capitation fee for each child they have registered; payment for each treatment carried out; the current practice allowance which was doubled in March 2005 to 6 per cent of total NHS earnings.
Scottish Executive figures show that more than one third of the 1900 non-salaried general dental practitioners in Scotland have gross NHS earnings of between £100,000 and £250,000 a year, and two thirds continue to have significant earnings from NHS dentistry.
We announced a massive funding package earlier this year - an extra £295 million over three years - no other Government in history has invested so much in Scotland's dental care. This will build up over three years, from £200 million in 2004/05 to £350 million by 2007/08.
Plans to reward NHS dentists
16/11/2005
Dentists committed to the NHS will reap the rewards of the Executive's dental action plan, it was announced today.
Deputy Health Minister Lewis Macdonald outlined NHS services that would require to be provided in order to access the additional millions of pounds of funding.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow's debate on dentistry, Mr Macdonald said:
"Our priority is to deliver our action plan for NHS dentists. By defining what constitutes NHS commitment we have reached a major landmark in that process.
"We believe that a committed NHS dentist is one who treats both children and adults. We want to ensure that the bulk of the new funds go to NHS dentists.
"Of the £295 million in additional funding we have made available, 80 per cent will go directly to high-street dentists. All dentists in Scotland who are committed to providing a service for NHS patients will now be able to access this money - worth tens of thousands of pounds for each dentist.
"My message to dentists and patients across Scotland remains clear. We want to reward dentists for the commitment they show to the NHS and to their patients: and we will ensure public money goes to NHS dentists, rather than those who have opted out.
"To reward dentists who have de-registered all their fee-paying adult NHS patients would be letting down committed NHS dentists. It would not improve access to NHS dentistry nor would it improve our country's oral health - both of which I am focussed on delivering nationwide."
NHS commitment definition:
A practice will need to have at least 500 registered NHS patients per dentist.
Of these 500 patients at least 100 will need to be fee paying adults.
Practices which earn an average of £50,000 or above per dentist will receive 100% of the new allowances.
Practices will be required to maintain or increase the existing NHS patient profile of their practice, otherwise clawback may be effected.
Mechanisms will be put in place to consider representation from practices that consider they have justifiable reasons for not meeting the full criteria and also to recognise the contribution of specialist practices e.g. orthodontic practices. The main problem of access to NHS dentistry is for adult patients who are de-registered and then forced to pay for private treatment. To invest money without setting a threshold for the number of adult NHS patients a dentists must treat would compound this problem, not solve it.
Under our plans, dentists will still be able to treat both NHS and private patients. Those who choose to treat only children and exempt adults will still be entitled to receive: a capitation fee for each child they have registered; payment for each treatment carried out; the current practice allowance which was doubled in March 2005 to 6 per cent of total NHS earnings.
Scottish Executive figures show that more than one third of the 1900 non-salaried general dental practitioners in Scotland have gross NHS earnings of between £100,000 and £250,000 a year, and two thirds continue to have significant earnings from NHS dentistry.
We announced a massive funding package earlier this year - an extra £295 million over three years - no other Government in history has invested so much in Scotland's dental care. This will build up over three years, from £200 million in 2004/05 to £350 million by 2007/08.