DDRB evidence criticises Scottish Government approach
BDA says practitioner accounts review is “flawed”
The Scottish Government’s procurement exercise to collect and analyse the accounts of 200 practitioners in Scotland was “flawed” according to the British Dental Association (BDA).
The criticism is included in the association’s evidence to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) for 2016/17.
The document stated: “BDA Scotland and the Scottish Dental Practice Committee have invested considerable time and effort to encourage practices to participate in this exercise; however, there have been major flaws in how this project was commissioned.
“The level of detail in the information requested was described by practitioners as ‘excessively and inappropriately detailed and intrusive’ resulting in a very low up-take up by practices.”
In the first phase of the exercise, only one practice out of 200 committed to participating in the process.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “The project was commissioned in line with Scottish Government procurement rules and the BDA was involved throughout the process and given early sight of the relevant documentation and methodological approach.
“This approach provides dentists with the opportunity to give the DDRB information to help identify a way forward, but clearly relies on dentists actively participating in the process.”
Eddie Crouch, chair of the BDA’s Review Body Evidence Committee, said: “The priority for dentists is high-quality care, and years of sustained cuts have made it difficult to deliver what our patients deserve. Governments appear to have settled on a winning formula for demoralising an entire profession. If we continue on this course, without realistic pay uplifts, we are heading for a retention crisis.”
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