Rishi Sunak proposes a plan to address the staff shortages in the dental industry by requiring new dentists to dedicate a certain amount of time to the NHS. Currently, two out of three dentists leave the health service immediately after qualifying, which is considered unacceptable. Sunak believes it is reasonable to expect these dentists to contribute to the NHS after receiving extensive training that was subsidized by the taxpayer.
This initiative, coupled with an increase in training places, aims to increase the number of dentists offering NHS services and alleviate the chronic shortages that have hindered access to treatment. However, the British Dental Association strongly opposes this idea. Eddie Crouch, the chairman of the association, suggests that the government should focus on improving the attractiveness of working in the NHS rather than mandating conditions for dentists. He believes that the government’s efforts are futile in trying to fill vacancies with dentists who do not want to work in the NHS.
In addition to the dental industry, the NHS has plans to address workforce shortages in other healthcare sectors as well. They include doubling medical school places, increasing nurse training spots, expanding training for dental hygienists and nurses, and boosting the number of mental health clinicians. The retention of employees in the healthcare service is also a priority, with measures such as career development opportunities, flexible working arrangements, and pension reforms.
The dental crisis in some areas has led to patients resorting to extreme measures, such as extracting their own teeth. To combat this, the NHS plans to train 40% more dentists over the next ten years and improve the value of taxpayer investment in dental education and training. Bureaucracy will be reduced, and dentists will be encouraged to dedicate more time to NHS patients. A potential “tie-in” period following graduation may be implemented, requiring dentists to spend a minimum proportion of their time providing NHS care. Existing dentists will not be affected by this requirement. The Health Secretary will explore options such as weekly hours or a minimum number of NHS work stints.
The British Dental Association, however, doubts that this plan will be sufficient to address the exodus of dentists from the NHS. They argue that recruiting more foreign dentists is not a viable solution and believe that the NHS contract needs significant improvement. Surveys conducted by the union indicate that many dentists have reduced their NHS commitments due to the pandemic.
While Health Secretary Steve Barclay has considered imposing a tie-in period for doctors as well, Rishi Sunak states that evidence of a mass exodus of doctors to other countries is only anecdotal. If the situation worsens, the government is willing to take action.
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