Biting back Show me the money
with Arthur Dent T
he Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ R emuner a tion (DDRB) has, since ı97ı, held an annual
review of healthcare economics in order to make recommendations to the UK health departments on pay and fee uplifts. The DDRB listens to evidence from the health departments, NHS employers and trades unions including the British Dental Association (BDA). For general dental practitioners’
GDS fees the DDRB takes into account the effects of practice expenses such as materials, lab costs and DCPs’ salaries. In 20ı0 the UK coalition govern-
ment announced a public sector pay freeze during the period 20ıı-ı3 (other than for workers earning less than £2ı,000 per annum). Thus the DDRB could not announce any pay increases for doctors or dentists during this period but it has maintained a watchful eye on the economics of the healthcare sector. GDS fees contain a percentage for dentists’ salary and a larger percentage for practice expenses. In 20ıı the Scottish Health
Department specifically requested the DDRB to look at the expenses
of general dental practices working in the NHS in Scotland. The DDRB published its 40th annual report on ı3 March and its recommendation was that an uplift of one per cent be applied to item-of-service fees in Scotland for 20ıı-ı2, and a further compound increase of ı.38 per cent to be applied for 20ı2-ı3. The following day the Scottish
Health Department issued a letter which stated: “We are currently considering
the recommendation on dental practice expenses and hope to be able to make a decision by the end of March.” Well the end of March came
and went and, at the time of writing, there has been nothing but a deathly silence from the Scottish Government. The chair of the BDA’s Scottish Dental Prac- tice Committee (SDPC) Robert Kinloch has written to the Chief Dental Officer seeking urgent confirmation that the DDRB’s recommendations will be imple- mented in full and as soon as possible; BDA Scotland continues to press for a response. It will not have escaped
your notice that the financial year 20ıı-ı2
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“The Scottish Govern- ment must not add insult to injury by further delaying these meagre increases”
Column
has been and gone on 3ı March and we are now in 20ı2-ı3. The delay in getting a firm recommendation from DDRB is now being compounded by the slow response from Scottish Government. Clearly the fees for 20ıı-ı2 can no longer be uplifted, so a backdated increase will have to be applied which must also impact on other fee-dependant calculations such as seniority payments, practice allowances etc. And what of practitioners who
have now left the GDS since 20ıı-ı2 – those that have sold their practices, retired or moved on – how will they be recompensed? The longer the announcement is delayed by Scot- tish Government, the more difficult it becomes to accurately recom- pense dentists for their outstanding expenses. GDS practices are hard-pressed because of rapidly increasing costs and expenses which the DDRB’s paltry recommendations will barely compensate. The Scottish Govern- ment must not add insult to injury by further delaying implementation
of these meagre increases. Every GDP in Scotland must already be crying “SHOW ME THE MONEY!”
is published by
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www.scottishdentalmag.co.uk Scottish Dental magazine 5
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