We have warned that new measures announced to help ‘stabilise and safeguard’ access to General Dental Services (GDS) in 2026-27 must be followed by reform of the dental payment system.
The Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, has confirmed he has approved a number of measures for GDS in a recent letter to us. These measures are the following:
- Continuation of the Activity Support Payment for 2026-27, with funding increased to £2m
- Recurrent continuation of the 30% enhancement for fees associated with FERC treatments
- Recurrent continuation of the Enhanced Child Examination Scheme
- Commissioning of a new Emergency Dental Clinic in the western area
- An additional six Dental Foundation Training places.
In his letter, the Minister has acknowledged that these measures on their own will not address all of the challenges facing the GDS in Northern Ireland. He has also made a commitment to look at what further support may be possible in-year to further support dentistry, particularly after a Budget has been agreed.
The Minister has also said that the Cost-of-Service review ‘will inform longer-term decisions on the future direction of General Dental Services’.
We have acknowledged what are significant efforts by the Health Minister to earmark additional funding measures for General Services in 2026-27, at a time of severe budgetary pressures including the absence of an agreed Budget; however, we are clear this is far from the end of the road.
Ahead of yet another Assembly debate on access to dentistry, we have sought to put these measures into context of the pressures being placed on Health Service-committed practices and practitioners.
Access to Health Service dentistry rapidly disappearing
Across Northern Ireland, we have 389,132 fewer patients registered to receive Health Service dental care since 2023, with less than half of the population registered. The number of dental treatments provided is around 33% below pre-pandemic levels.
At the heart of the collapse is the gap between what the Department of Health pays for NHS dental care, and the increased costs to deliver dental care to modern standards by practices.
Our latest challenge to the NI Executive is clear – dental payment reform cannot wait.
On the back of the Cost-of-Service review, we must ‘go further and faster’ and make this service financially sustainable by moving to dental payment reform in the remainder of this Assembly mandate.