A small number of prototypes will be starting in September this year, testing two different remuneration models. In the Type A prototypes, what is currently Band 1 care will be rewarded via capitation payments, with Band 2 and 3 activity paid via Units of Dental Activity (UDAs). In Type B, Band 1 and 2 care will be paid by capitation, with Band 3 work only paid via UDA payments.
In an event at the BDA conference in Manchester, Professor Steele made clear that Type B is "closest to the balanced approach" set out in the landmark 2009 Independent Review of the NHS Dentistry in England.
The BDA believes that the prototypes are unambitious and the best model for patients and practices would be 100 per cent capitation. It has suggested that practices in Type B will have a much better experience, with its reduced emphasis on UDA targets.
Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, Chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC) said:
"We now have two blends moving into prototypes. One is unambitious, the other unacceptable. The Department of Health's unwillingness to let go of discredited activity targets will undermine both reform models, fatally in the case of Type A.
"If government really wanted to put prevention at the heart of NHS dentistry we would be looking at prototypes based on 100 per cent capitation. That option may not be on the table, but the further we move from that goal, the more our patients and our profession will lose out."