ADG’s workforce gap warning affirmed in white paper
A white paper published on 16th January 2025 by the British Dental Journal Jobs (BDJ) The Future of Dental Recruitment in the UK: Trends and Predictions for 2025 reveals that the ‘supply of trained dental professionals is the top thing they believe had the greatest impact on their practice’s ability to recruit during 2023′, with 80% of those polled saying this was the number one issue
Throughout the ongoing crisis in dentistry, the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) has been saying time and time again that the priority issue is the huge gap in the dental workforce. Repeating a mantra of ‘recruitment, recruitment, recruitment – and retention’, the ADG has flagged the significance of the gap in the dental workforce. Data published by NHS England for the period to March 2024 show there are 2,749 full-time equivalent (FTE basis) NHS dentist vacancies, which make up 87% of total dentist vacancies currently open – at 3,160 (FTE basis). These are roles that have been open for an average of 180 days per post, and most are more than three months old. Furthermore, with 411 private vacancies (FTE basis) still open, it is clear that irrespective of the need for NHS contract reform, there is a system-wide shortage of dentists in the UK across the profession’s ‘mixed-economy’. The result of this huge gap in the dental workforce means that there is an issue with the number of patient treatments that can actually be carried out.
The ADG emphasised the importance of shoring up the dental workforce in their input to the National Audit Office (NAO) review both at a meeting and in writing as they prepared their report into the failings of the dental recovery plan. The ADG has been clear throughout that the dental workforce is the number one issue. However, when the NAO report came out, it did not reflect a proper picture of the dentistry landscape or the issues. It focused on the NHS contract – and not the lack of dentists in the UK.
Now the Public Accounts Committee has called for a public inquiry – something the ADG demanded earlier this month. The ADG has made their submission to this call for input, which closed yesterday.
Neil Carmichael, Executive Chair, Association of Dental Groups said: “The NAO report was a terrible waste of public funds and has brought us no closer to a solution to fix the crisis in dentistry. The ADG called for a public inquiry and we now welcome this proper examination of the issues. We have ensured the committee has the insights from our Association’s members who are living day-to-day struggling to recruit trained dental professionals. Let’s hope they listen! We can then move forward to rescue UK dentistry and deliver to patients the care they deserve.”