Most dentists ‘thinking of quitting profession’

THREE-QUARTERS of NHS dentists in Wales are thinking of leaving the profession due to low morale and pay cuts, new figures have revealed.

A survey of dentists who work for the NHS in England and Wales were asked to what extent they agreed with the statement: “I often think about leaving general dental practice”.

In Wales, 73.2% of “providing-performer” dentists – those who have both NHS and other contracts – agreed or strongly agreed that they often thought of leaving general dentistry.

This compared to 57.2% for England and Wales as a whole.

The British Dental Association (BDA) believes these figures can be partly attributed to a “collapse” in practitioner earnings in Wales.

The organisation claims there has been an income fall of nearly 35% in real terms since 2006. NHS dentists received a below inflation pay uplift of 1.44% for 2017-18 from the Welsh Government, in expectation that they will seek further efficiency savings.

The new data shows dentists earnings fell 1.9% in 2015-16, compared to 1.2% fall for GPs.

A spokesman said: “This unprecedented drop has seen the real incomes for practice owning dentists fall by over £45,000, and their associates by over £20,000 over the last decade.

“Unlike their medical colleagues, NHS dentists do not receive any capital investment from central government. These profits therefore serve to fund all improvements in equipment, training and facilities for NHS practices.

“Official data also shows morale and motivation among dentists in Wales is continuing to decline.”

BDA Wales has expressed “grave concerns” that the combined effects of under-investment, mounting costs and the public sector pay restraint – on staff retention, recruitment and the ability of practices to invest – jeopardise the long-term sustainability of the service.

It criticised new funding for dental places from the Welsh Government over the summer, when it emerged the amounts pledged represented just a quarter of the money taken out of dentistry when dentists do not hit the tough targets set by government in their contracts.

Katrina Clarke, chairwoman of the BDA’s Welsh General Dental Practice Committee said: “A decade of savage pay cuts in dentistry have had real consequences in Wales. “Our patients have felt the impact, as it’s hit our capacity to recruit and retain the best staff in the NHS and to invest in practices and equipment.

“We do not expect the Welsh Government to turn back the clock on this lost decade for NHS dentistry. All we are asking is to simply put a halt to this direction of travel.

“Ministers have recently boasted about ‘new’ investment in the service. Lifting the pay cap would send the clearest possible signal that Ministers see a future for NHS dentistry in Wales.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We recognise there are some issues around the morale of some practice owner dentists in Wales.

“This isn’t just an issue of pay, and we want to work with the dental profession and their representatives to gain a greater understanding of the causes.

“We are already working with dentists in shaping change and making better use of existing resources to benefit patients and dental teams.”