BDA Scotland: 2.5% uplift fails to take account of rising expenses
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 28th August 2019
BDA Scotland is disappointed that the Scottish Government uplift of 2.5% for both pay and expenses fails to take adequate account of the full cost of running a dental practice.
The BDA estimates that expenses, such as wages, laboratory and regulatory costs have risen by more than 3% in the past year. The current award, though welcome, would still leave dentists out of pocket.
The Scottish Government has confirmed that the uplift 2019/2020, will be backdated to April.
David McColl, Chair of the Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said:
“While we welcome the Scottish Government’s acceptance of the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) recommendation of a 2.5% pay uplift, it also has to recognise that expenses are a significant element of dentists’ costs.
“Dentists have seen a 30% real-terms decrease in income in recent years, and awarding at least 3% for expenses would have helped to halt that long-term decline and ensure that NHS dentistry in Scotland remains sustainable.”
