CDO England update on dental contract changes
29 September 2022
The Chief Dental Officer for England, Sara Hurley, has written to dental professionals regarding contractual changes coming into place from 1st October.
Minimum UDA value
These changes will include a minimum indicative UDA value of £23, and contractors have been advised by their local area team whether this will be implemented through a reduction in required annual activity or an increase in their annual contract value.
FP17 changes
Changes will also be made to the FP17 to support enhanced UDAs for higher needs patients and personalisation of recall intervals. New fields have been introduced to the Clinical Data Set to capture the provision of molar and non-molar endodontic treatments to support the appropriate allocation of 5 and 7 UDAs to qualifying Band 2 Courses of Treatment. Completion of the NICE guidance recommended recall interval field will also become mandatory on adult claims for Band 1,2 and 3 Courses of Treatment from 1st October 2022.
Promoting the more effective use of skill mix
The update notes that dental hygienists, dental therapists and professionals specified under section 36A of the Dentists Act are able to provide care under the contract in accordance with their scope of practice and competence. The FP17 has been amended to collect data on the care being provided by DCPs from 1st October and there will be a check box to indicate which DCP fully or partially provided care (therapist, hygienist, nurse, clinical technician) together with a space for their GDC number.
