Dental Services

(asked on 19th April 2021) - View Source

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 potential merits of removing the 45 per cent target on dental practices for units of dental activity.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 28th April 2021

No assessment has been made of removing the 45% target.

However, an assessment has been made of the attainment of the 45% activity thresholds. These lower levels of activity support continued payment of full contractual value to National Health Service providers during the pandemic period, when infection control requirements necessarily restrict the numbers of patients that can be seen.

This assessment supported the recent increase in thresholds from 45% to 60%. Arrangements will continue to be monitored, with reduced clawback of contract payments between attainment levels of 36% to 60% and flexibility for NHS commissioners to make exceptions, for instance in cases where a dental practice has been impacted by staff being required to self-isolate.

Reticulating Splines