On 25 January 2022, NHS England announced an extra £50M for NHS dentistry, promising “hundreds of thousands more dental appointments to help recovery of services.”
In June, Healthwatch York submitted a Freedom of Information request to understand how this funding was used locally.
They asked 6 questions. The responses are in, and here’s what they tell us:
- Of the £50M, how much was allocated to Yorkshire and Humber (accepting figures at the time said £8,633,000 to Y&H and the North East)?
The allocation for the North East and Yorkshire was not apportioned specifically to Yorkshire and the Humber & the North East and North Cumbria regions.
- Of this allocation, how much was spent by the end of March 2022?
Across Yorkshire and the Humber, £1.4m of this funding was spent by the end of March 2022.
- Has spend ended, or was it continued through April and May 2022?
This funding was available to fund additional services within the 2021/22 financial year, during February and March.
- What was the money spent on?
There were 2446 sessions (3.5 hours per session) funded across Yorkshire and Humber as part of this funding initiative. The average number of patients for each session was between 4 and 6 depending on the clinical need.
- Was any of the money spent in York? If so, how much, to whom, and where were sessions provided?
There were no expressions of interested received from eligible and willing practices in York, therefore there were no additional sessions provided.
- Will the underspend be carried forward?
Under the terms of this specific funding initiative, it was not possible to carry forward underspend.
Healthwatch York Manager, Siân Balsom said of the response:
“If we assume Yorkshire and Humber got half the funding for the 2 regions, then less than a third of it was spent. What we know for certain is that none of it was spent on services for York. The response also confirms all spend was done by end of March. Yet as late as 30 June the £50M additional funding was still being quoted by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Realistically, no one can take on new staff, or buy and equip new premises for a 2-month funding opportunity. It’s hard not to see this as merely a gimmick, some Billy Flynn style ‘Razzle Dazzle’.
My team continue to take calls week in, week out, from people desperate to see a dentist. It’s simply not good enough. We have been calling for some time now for urgent and radical reform of the NHS dental contract. The current contract is not fit for purpose.
We share the British Dental Association’s concerns that current plans are mere tweaks to a broken model Latest News Articles NHS dentistry: New plans will not bring real reform (bda.org).
We want a long-term solution that guarantees access to an NHS dentist for anyone who needs it. It must include a decent income for dentists who support their patients to have good oral health. It must recognise that we are already seeing the legacy of the ongoing failure to provide this support – patients with complex oral health needs who require multiple fillings or are missing significant numbers of teeth. We call on NHS England to work with dentists and patients to co-create a model for modern NHS dentistry that benefits us all.”
Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, added:
“I have been tireless in seeking immediate and longer term solutions to address the dental crisis. There are not enough dentists, the NHS dental contract does not pay and driving dentists into private practice, and we are not training enough for the future. I have called for York to host a new dental school and to become a new Centre for Dental Development. Yet Government are yet to institute any solutions. The decline in oral healthcare is of serious concern and things are continuing to get worse as York cannot recruit NHS dentists. I am particularly worried about children, who are not getting the support they need, and in older people, poor oral health can lead to malnutrition. These are really serious things, and we urgently need the Government and NHS England to work with us on the solutions that are necessary.”
For more information about the work of Healthwatch York visit: www.healthwatchyork.co.uk.