In October’s newsletters we asked dentists whether they felt the 3.55% contract value uplift was sufficient and whether it was possible that this would result in a pay uplift for all members of the dental team.
There was universal agreement that the NHS contract uplift was not sufficient to meet the rising costs of providing dental care, and therefore not sufficient to provide pay uplifts without a commensurate drop in practice principal pay from the NHS contract.
“The Government has announced a 3.55% contract value uplift for 2025/2026. Is this uplift sufficient to meet the increased costs of providing NHS dental care?” – 100% of those who responded said this was not sufficient.
“Will the 3.55% uplift deliver the recommended 4% uplift in take home pay made by the Review Body on Doctors and Dentists’ Remuneration?” – 100% of those who responded said it would not and did not see how it could result in any uplift.
Some points made by those who kindly responded to our polling question in the last newsletter included:
“This is nowhere near sufficient to cover increasing costs. This year we have had significant increases in employee costs purely on the basis of the increase in minimum wage and substantial increase in National Insurance. This is not taking into consideration the cost increases in utilities, materials and labs. Year on year the profits of practices have been eroded by increased costs and consistent uplifts that never reach the same level”
“I have paid 3.55% to associates but my take home as principal will be reduced from last year”
“The increased costs for providing the service means this increase cannot be passed on to the clinician delivering the service. Privately derived income is necessary to be able to deliver the service.”
“Associates may not receive an uplift. My income goes down every year as lab fees increase, I’m becoming more wary of complaints, there’s more time spent on audit/checks and patients are more demanding and complex- I am slower “
There was frustration from some that pay for NHS work simply does not increase and that any contract uplifts are not passed on, but as is clear the low level of uplift is not keeping pace with existing expenses. The failure of NHS contract uplifts to even meet the basic increased costs of providing care, let alone to provide a pay uplift, means that practices have to look towards private work to address increased overheads. The consistent failure of the government to invest adequately into NHS dental contracts is clearly driving down the commitment of some practices and practitioners.
What is clear is that at least some dentists are reducing their NHS activity not because they actively want to, but from fiscal necessity. This is a choice made by government, not by the profession. We will pass your feedback to the British Dental Association and to the Department of Health, because Your Voice Matters.
Be sure to answer November’s polling question to help us represent your views on the issues that matter to you.
