Dental Protection has called the proposals by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to reform the NHS dentistry contract in England a step forward, but advises that they will require careful, supported implementation to achieve the desired outcomes across the sector.
Raj Rattan, Dental Director at Dental Protection said: “Dental Protection has long called for contract reform to address the shortcomings of the present system.
“Dentists in England have had to be patient in waiting for fundamental reform to the GDS contract. It has been a long journey for me personally, with my former practice being one of the first pilot sites over 10 years ago.
“While the reforms proposed in this consultation are a step forward in the right direction, there is still much left to do. I hope the changes will have a positive impact on access – not only as a practical necessity for patients, but as an ethical obligation to ensure that appropriate central care is available to all who need it.
“We also support the overall aim of encouraging skill mix amongst the dental team. Utilising extended duty dental nurses is a positive step to support a more preventative approach to delivery of care, aligning with guidance and freeing up clinical capacity.
“Overall, we support the aims of the proposals but recognise that further action will be required to deliver meaningful and lasting change. For too long, NHS dentistry has remained in the shadows of a contract that is not fit for purpose. I hope this this consultation is the beginning of a journey to a brighter future.”
The DHSC consultation into the NHS dentistry contract (quality and payment reforms) closed on 19 August 2025 and Dental Protection’s full response can be accessed here.
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Notes to editors
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About Dental Protection
Dental Protection is a registered trademark and a trading name of The Medical Protection Society Limited (“MPS”). MPS is the world’s leading protection organisation for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals. We protect and support the professional interests of more than 300,000 members around the world. Membership provides access to expert advice and support and can also provide, depending on the type of membership required, the right to request indemnity for any complaints or claims arising from professional practice.
Our in-house experts assist with the wide range of legal and ethical problems that arise from professional practice. This can include clinical negligence claims, complaints, medical and dental council inquiries, legal and ethical dilemmas, disciplinary procedures, inquests and fatal accident inquiries.
Our philosophy is to support safe practice in medicine and dentistry by helping to avert problems in the first place. We do this by promoting risk management through our E-learning, clinical risk assessments, publications, conferences, lectures and presentations.
MPS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MPS are discretionary as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.