Prescriptive PDS+

Before entering the biding process, seek advice.

The new model PDS+ Agreement sees a shift from the standard GDS contracts and PDS agreements that dentists are familiar with, to more of a short-term contract. It was launched in November by the health department for improving dental access, it runs for more than 50 pages and has 17 working schedules.

Although it is in a significantly different form to the first draft presented by the health department and now contains amendments reflecting their consultation with the British Dental Association and their specialist advisers, the new agreement still falls short.

The agreement is to be for a term of five to 10 years, extendable, at the PCT’s discretion, for a further five to 10 years. The main concerns are that the agreement is very prescriptive, one-sided (favouring the PCT) and requires robust management systems to be in place. Consequently, fulfilling the requirements may be difficult for the big dental corporates, and to a greater extent, the small dental practice.