Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to expand the dental recruitment incentive scheme beyond the seven surgeries in the scheme in NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board.

NHS England has published guidance for practices on the Golden Hello incentive scheme, which will encourage dentists into under-served areas through bonus payments of up to £20,000 to work there for up to three years. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/dental-recruitment-incentive-scheme-2024-25/

The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency, this is the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB. Dental practices in specific areas, determined locally, were invited by their ICB to apply for the scheme, and were notified about the outcome of their application by their local ICB.