NHS dental contract prototypes to end in England
15 October 2021
Prototype contractual arrangements for NHS dental practices in England will not be renewed beyond April 2022, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has informed participating practices.
The prototype scheme, which has involved over 100 practices as part of long-standing plans for reform of the NHS dental contract, will not be rolled out more widely. The programme had included a financial system focusing on two contractual measures: capitation (to increase focus on disease prevention) and non-capitated activity (for any necessary clinical treatment).
The DHSC has indicated that an evaluation of the prototypes found a fall in the number of patients accessing care.
The prototype practices will return to underlying GDS or PDS contractual arrangements.
A further evaluation of the prototype scheme is expected to be published by DHSC later this year.
