To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional steps his Department is taking to support NHS dentistry provision, in addition to the £50 million of funding for dentistry announced on 25 January 2022.
Answered on
14 March 2022
During the pandemic, NHS England and NHS Improvement have set activity thresholds for dentists which secures protection of practice National Health Service income. Access to free personal protective equipment will continue until 31 March 2023 or until infection prevention and control guidance is revised or withdrawn. Where data has indicated practices can achieve more activity safely, thresholds have been gradually increased to help improve access for patients. The current threshold is set at 85%. NHS dental practices have been asked to meet as many prioritised needs as possible, focussing first on urgent care and care for vulnerable groups, including children followed by overdue appointments.