The South East London LDC held an open meeting for all members on Monday 15 September with special guest Jeremy Wallman, Head of Dental Optometry and Pharmacy Commissioning for London.
The meeting opened with a discussion about the recent consultation on changes to the dental contract. The LDC Confederation had responded to this consultation on behalf of member LDCs. There were general concerns that the proposals were designed to manage underperformance which was not really an issue in London as activity levels have returned to pre-pandemic levels. While there had been no announcement about the final decision following the consultation it was expected that any proposals decided would be implemented from April 2026.
Urgent dental care in London was reported to be working well, with clear pathways and sufficient commissioned activity. Additional targets announced by the government were unlikely to apply in London because the existing scheme was meeting demand. As noted, activity levels have returned to pre-pandemic levels and Jeremy reported a strong demand from practices for additional UDAs demonstrating an appetite for more NHS delivery.
Integrated Care Boards continued to engage with the NHS restructure and were required to make substantial additional savings. The dental commissioning hub, which is a shared function and cost between the Integrated Care Boards in London had previously been considered safe from requirements for additional savings but was in fact subject to reduction. This would have an impact on their ability to deliver effective commissioning and contract management.
The Integrated Care Board was reported to be looking at pilot initiatives for children and the homeless population, and this is something the LDC will be seeking further engagement on.
There was no confirmed timeline for implementation of any reforms or changes to the dental contract so the LDC has suggested that it, or the LDC Confederation, will host an event once details have been released to help practices with the transition.
