Dentists' Association Responds To 'Lack Of Public Service Ethos' Attack, UK

The organisation that represents dentists in general practice has responded strongly to the comments by Keith Barron MP, Chair of the Health Select Committee that 'dentists do not have the same public service ethos that GPs do' and they have a 'moral obligation' to work on the NHS.


Mr Barron also said 'I think they are letting the country and the taxpayer down. The profession should take a good look at itself'.


President of the DPA, Brian Levy BDS said 'Mr Barron should first examine his own role in the collapse of the NHS dental services. Dentists work in the system they are given. It is the government which collects taxes and which has failed to provide the dental service it promised.'


CEO of the DPA, Derek Watson said 'Dentists have the same public service ethos as any other group. Most dentists have worked in the NHS and have continued to do so, long past the point at which the income failed to cover the costs. It is cross-subsidy from dentist's income outside the NHS which has kept it going for so long.


'This is an unwarranted attack on UK dentists. The Labour government seems happy to be at war with its dental workforce. These comments are unhelpful and smack of desperation. Public service ethos does not pay for premises, staff or materials.


'Dentists are taxpayers too and they repay the cost of their training many times over during their career. They have no more obligation to work on the NHS than does an accountant or an engineer.


'As Mr Barron's committee has run the service so badly, perhaps they should consider whether he has a moral obligation to train as a dentist and help out. The least he could do is retrain for his job.'


A new NHS dental contract introduced in April 2006 gave greater powers to Primary Care Trusts to direct NHS dentists while capping the NHS dental budget. Dentists see the contract as inflexible, inefficient and unfair and 8 per cent of the workforce resigned immediately.


Dentists are reducing their dependence on the NHS due to the increased business risk of working under the new contract, and the disparity in terms and conditions which means the NHS typically tenders for work at one third of the market rate.


The Dental Practitioners Association was established in 1954 and supports and represents dentists in general practice on terms and conditions in the UK.

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