The British Dental Association has expressed its dismay that Government appears to have struck a deal to cover the cost of National Insurance and National Minimum Wage increases for General Practice, while leaving the rest of primary care to go it alone.
The BDA has stood shoulder to shoulder with primary care colleagues in general practice, pharmacy, optics and audiology in calls to ‘fix the front door’ of the NHS. The professional body welcomes additional support for medical colleagues, but laments what looks like a divide and rule approach to funding and reform.
The BDA told the Public Accounts Committee earlier this month that failure to keep pace with rising costs for NHS treatment including the hikes in NIC and NMW will leave a gap in the dental budget of £425m, that will have to be filled by private work.
News comes after the Government’s plan to offer 700,000 urgent care appointments was revealed to cover less than a third of official estimates of unmet need. Despite pledges pre-election of new money to pay for these appointments, these will be paid for by recycling underspends in the dental budget.
Shiv Pabary, Chair of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee said: “This two-tier approach to primary care is beyond the pale. A reckless Budget hit every part of primary care with huge new overheads. GPs are now getting the support they need, but tens of thousands of other practitioners have been thrown under a bus.”
