Fair pay and contracts

Pay

High street NHS dentists have seen a fall in real incomes with no parallel in the public sector. This collapse in pay is putting a struggling workforce under huge pressure, and fuelling an access crisis.

Contract reform

Discredited contracts are fuelling an exodus from the NHS. The payments they receive often bare little relation to the work they do, and some treatments can be delivered at a financial loss. These systems fail high needs patients, who require and deserve more time in the chair.

Pensions

We lobby governments to get a fairer deal on pensions.

Industrial action

We campaign for fair pay for all dentists, a mandate which stretches from negotiating with government to organising strike action when other routes have been exhausted.

BDA support: Closure of NHS England

The Government has confirmed the abolition of NHS England and a reduction in its central workforce. As your trade union, we are here to support any member affected by these changes.

BDA support: Academia

As concerns rise about university finances, we are working to support our members working in academia.

Dental Recovery Plan FAQs

Members can access our frequently asked questions, helping you to gain an understanding of the Dental Recovery Plan and what it means for dentists and practices.

Browse FAQs

Latest news

A paper ‘pay rise’ that won’t cover mounting cost of care

Headline pay uplifts of 4% confirmed today will do little to halt the exodus from NHS dentistry, unless Government is willing to cover the real costs of delivering care.

Annual Reconciliation Report for 2024-2025

The Annual Reconciliation Report process is underway for the last financial year. Between 1 April and 30 June, NHS contract holders are obliged to confirm the actual Net Pensionable Earnings for the previous financial year for each dentist at the practice.

Hard to follow: A consultation on a new unnegotiated contract

The model for a new General Dental Services contract is now published. We will of course give a full and informed response as to whether it meets the specific needs of patients and the profession.

“We’re not all in this together”: Treasury cuts leave £1.5bn hole in budget

Dental charges are set to rise again this April, so business as usual with more stealth cuts.

Northern Ireland: Demanding clarity on backpay

We are insisting on urgent clarity on pay for GDPs in Northern Ireland, following a Department of Health announcement that backdated pay will not be implemented until at least May 2025.

Updates to the Scottish Dental Access Initiative and Recruitment and Retention Allowance

The latest remuneration changes in Scotland.

England: DFT service costs uplifted for first time in a decade

Service costs payments to practices providing Dental Foundation Training (DFT) have been uplifted for the first time in a decade, as a result of our determined campaigning.

Wales: Spectacular display of bad faith from Ministers on pay

We have slammed attempts by the Welsh Government to pass the buck on record breaking delays on pay uplifts for NHS dentists.

England: Dentists handed pay cut after record-breaking delay

Ministers have now approved a real pay cut for dentists in England, after record-breaking delays.

Understanding your Remediable Pension Savings Statement

New advice about what the information means, and the action you should take.

Pay Award announced for NHS GDP and PDS Dentists in Scotland

Details of the new pay award and when it will be implemented.

Wales: Prospects for a new General Dental Service contract in 2026

While formal contract negotiations with Welsh Government and NHS Wales have concluded, there remains considerable work to bring the new reformed GDS contract to fruition in 2026.