Government ‘holds the key’ to restoring services for millions of patients

16 November, 2020 / infocus
 Will Peakin  

A package of capital funding offers “the only hope” of restoring routine services to millions of patients, the British Dental Association (BDA), has told the UK Government and devolved administrations.

The warning comes as a new survey indicates that the dental service is “in crisis” and is “incapable of delivering investment to meet new rules that could boost access”.

In an open letter to Matt Hancock, the UK Government’s Health Secretary, sent today and shared with each devolved administration, the BDA has set out the case for urgent support.

According to the survey data from practices across the UK:

  • 70 per cent of practices are now operating at less than half their pre-pandemic capacity, with nearly two thirds (63 per cent) reporting less focus on ‘routine’ dentistry, as urgent and emergency cases receive needed priority.  
  • The number one barrier to increasing capacity is ‘fallow time’ – the time gap mandated between procedures to minimise risks of viral transmission – with 88 per cent of practices reporting it as a major obstacle. PPE availability – formerly the key challenge – is now cited by 36 per cent of practices as supplies have improved. Financial and cash flow problems are cited by 62 per cent of practices, and patients’ unwillingness to attend by 43 per cent.
  • While new regulations may enable practices to slash their fallow time, most practices (57 per cent) now lack the funds to invest in the new equipment required to do so. Industry sources estimate costs for mechanical ventilation for meeting required levels of ‘air change’ at £10,000 for a typical practice. 52 per cent of practices also lack data on air change levels to even establish their compliance with new rules.  
  • At present 55 per cent of practices estimate they are able to maintain their financial sustainability for 12 months or less.

Between the March lockdown and September in England alone, more than 14.5 million fewer NHS treatments were delivered in 2020 compared with the same period last year – a figure the BDA now estimates to have reached 19 million. With practices remaining open during the current lockdown in England and tiered restrictions in Scotland, dentists have stressed the focus remains on managing an unprecedented backlog of urgent cases, often limiting scope for essential routine dentistry, particularly in NHS care.

The BDA has warned of widening inequality, as patients face poorer outcomes given the huge barriers to early detection of conditions from decay and gum disease through to oral cancer.

It has been over a decade since dentists in England received any capital investment from central government. The BDA has estimated government would rapidly recoup costs through increased patient contributions as a result of rising patient volumes. Since lockdown the Treasury has lost nearly £400m from the patient contributions that are increasingly relied upon to fund NHS services in England, with around £50m in revenues now being lost per month.

Eddie Crouch, the BDA chair, said: “COVID restrictions have left dentists firefighting with huge backlogs, unable to see more than a fraction of our former patient numbers, especially in the NHS.

“We now face a Catch-22. New rules could bring back a dose of normality, but come with a multi-million-pound bill for new kit that practices simply cannot afford.  

“On paper we have a chance to restore services to millions, but without support from Government it won’t translate into better access.  

“The clock is ticking on an oral health time bomb, as dentists lose the chance to act on the early signs of decay and oral cancer.  

“Ministers have a choice. Make an investment that would pay for itself and bring millions back through our doors, or leave patients waiting for the care they need.”  

Tags: Covid-19 / Practice

Categories: News

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