This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Dentists in deprived areas given extra support
01/03/2007
Special payments to reward dentists who serve Scotland's most deprived areas were announced today.
The Deprived Areas Allowance will provide up to £9,000 per annum for around 350 dentists who provide NHS care in the most deprived areas. The move mirrors a similar scheme already operating for dentists in remote areas.
Deputy Health Minister Lewis Macdonald said:
"The hard working dentists who choose to provide NHS dental care to our most deprived communities deserve extra help. It's a sad fact that oral health can often be poor in these areas. I want to see that change."
"We are investing millions of pounds in widening access to NHS dentistry across Scotland. We want to make sure that happens, no matter where you live. I hope the new allowance will help retain and attract more dentists to offer NHS treatment in deprived areas."
Today Mr Macdonald also announced two other new initiatives aimed at boosting provision of NHS dentistry:
- a 25 per cent increase in the practitioner commitment payments made to any dentist who earns over £25,000 a year through NHS work.
- the introduction of a time lag when considering whether an existing dental practice which has lost a proportion of its NHS patients on a temporary basis still qualifies for NHS commitment payments. Under this change practices will have three months to get back above the threshold.
Mr Macdonald added:
"We want to encourage more dentists to provide wide access to NHS treatment, and to reward those who do so already. A significant rise in the practitioner commitment payment will be especially welcome for associate dentists who often can't receive the extra funding practices now get.
"Providing more time for dentists who may temporarily drop below commitment thresholds will also help ensure we continue to support those who want to offer NHS services.
"The changes announced today are another step towards building an NHS dental service that rewards both patients and the dentists who treat them."
Reacting to the Minister's announcement, Donald McNicol, Chairman of the Scottish Dental Practice Board said:
"I welcome these announcements today which show the commitment of the Minister to progress and develop the Action Plan to modernise NHS dentistry. The increase in these allowances will bring additional support to those dentists who are most committed to NHS dentistry. The introduction of a time lag for commitment payments identifies and reflects the fluid and dynamic nature of general dental practice."
Background:
The Deprived Areas Allowance will give up to £9,000 per annum to dentists who provide NHS dentistry in a deprived area which we classify as a SIMD5(Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation). The payment is abated in relation to the dentist's NHS earnings as a total percentage of earnings. There are around 174 NHS dental practices whgich fall within SIMD5. The overall cost will be up to £3.15m per year.
Practitioner commitment payments comprise one means of rewarding dentists who do a significant amount of NHS work. The payments are quarterly and are based on the NHS gross earnings of an individual dentist. In 2005/06 approximately £4.3m was paid out. The 25 per cent increase announce today will add approximately £1m to the scheme. An NHS dentist grossing between £83,000 and £96,000 a year currently receives practitioner payments of £2,504 a year, and will now receive £3,130.