BDA Reaction To Announcement Of Allocation Of Dental Premises Funding, UK

The British Dental Association (BDA) has welcomed today's Scottish Executive Health Department announcement of funding for dental premises, but warned that the Executive must also concentrate on working with high street dentists across the country if it is to solve the problems that patients have in accessing care.


Andrew Lamb, the BDA's Director for Scotland said:


"Today's announcement of the allocation of the funding for dental premises in Scotland will be a welcome boost for the clinics, hospitals and access centres whose bids have been successful. But the money, first announced last August, is far from being the sole solution to the problems affecting patients across Scotland.


"If the Scottish executive is serious about creating an NHS dental service for Scotland that truly meets the needs of patients and dentists, it must work constructively with high street dentists, who provide more than 80 per cent of the nation's dental care."


The BDA remains concerned that many dentists in Scotland who are committed to performing NHS dental work will not be eligible for funding designed to reward practitioners' loyalty.


1. In its response to the Modernising NHS Dental Services for Scotland consultation, the BDA called for a tripling of investment in Scotland's NHS dental service from ?172m to ?520m a year. The BDA's response is available at: bda/about/docs/Final_Response_to_SEHD.pdf.


2. According to information from NHS Health Services Scotland, more than a third of practices in Scotland will not be eligible for the funding announced by the SEHD.


3. The British Dental Association (BDA) is the professional association for dentists in the UK. It represents over 20,000 dentists working in general practice, in community and hospital settings, in academia and research, and in the armed forces.


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