Pilot issues
Continued engagement between the Department of Health (DH) and the profession is vital if issues with pilots for the reform of contractual arrangements in England are to be resolved, the British Dental Association (BDA) has reiterated.
The warning follows the publication of a new report: NHS Dental Contract Pilots – Learning after two years of piloting. It identifies an overall health gain for patients at participating practices, but warns that many are struggling to maintain the number of patients they are able to see, particularly initially as patients undergo the detailed Oral Health Assessment that is being trialled.
Some pilot participants also raised practical concerns around the software being used, pointing to the need to sometimes override the system, the large amount of colour printing involved in producing care plans and some of the language in the plans not being patient friendly.
Also identified are repercussions for use of skill mix in dentistry, with the important role of DCPs, including Extended Duties Dental Nurses, in the delivery of the care pathway the pilots are trialling, noted. Such arrangements present particular challenges for smaller practices, the report warns.
John Milne, the chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, said:
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