Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of recent reforms to NHS dental contracts in England on patient access to services and supporting dentists to deliver NHS care; and whether he has considered the potential merits of alternative remuneration models, including the fee‑per‑treatment system used in Scotland, in informing future reform of NHS dentistry.

We have introduced a package of reforms this year to address some of the pressing issues that dentists and dental teams have been experiencing. These reforms prioritise those with the greatest need, shifting care away from clinically unnecessary check-ups. As of 1 April, dental practices are now required to deliver a set proportion of their contract as urgent care, supported by increased payments for dentists. Regulations introducing the remainder of the reforms, including new complex care pathways, came into force on 23 June. An impact assessment on the reforms has been published and can be found at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2026/42

We are committed to further reform of the National Health Service dental contract by the end of this Parliament. This will include publicly consulting on the future proposals. We are continuing to engage with the sector on these reforms to scope potential changes.

We remain open minded and keen to consider how different payment models could best support the delivery of dental care to patients. There is no one perfect payment model and all payment models will have downsides as well as advantages. Careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver genuine improvements for patients and the profession.