BDA Wales wins concessions on higher fees and red tape

A number of substantial modifications have been made to the recently published Care Standards Act 2000 (Extension of Application of Part 2 to Private Dental Practices) (Wales) Regulations 2017, in line with BDA recommendations.   

Among the changes that the Welsh Government agreed to adopt is the introduction of a tiered scale of annual fees for private practices to be registered with Healthcare Inspectorate Wales. The originally proposed regulations would have seen an increase of 660 per cent in fees for single-handed dentists and the BDA has lobbied hard to ensure that these annual fees are fairer to smaller practices.

The Welsh Government has agreed to change the proposed flat rate fee of £500 and introduce a simple scale of fees, reducing the annual fee for single-handed practices (providing both NHS and private care) to £300. All other practices will pay £500 to the HIW annually, including private direct access practices.

Several other amendments have ensured the new regulations are less bureaucratic and should be easier for all private dental practices in Wales to comply with.