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<p>On 7 February 2024, we published <em>Our Plan to Recover and Reform NHS Dentistry</em>.
The Dentistry Recovery Plan will make dental services faster, simpler, and fairer
for patients and will fund around 2.5 million additional appointments or more than
1.5 million additional courses of dental treatment.</p><p>Units of dental activity
(UDA) rates vary around the country but in recognition of the fact that where rates
are lowest it is harder for dentists to sustain their National Health Service work,
we announced in <em>Our Plan to Recover and Reform NHS Dentistry</em> that we will
raise the minimum UDA value to £28. This will mean that almost 1,000 contracts will
see an uplift to their UDA rate this year, supporting them and making treatment of
NHS patients more sustainable. We have also developed guidance to support local commissioning
by integrated care boards, including how they can consider addressing UDA rates locally
to support better delivery of dental care for patients. The plan also includes a number
of other commitments to make NHS dentistry more attractive and sustainable, including
new patient payments and Golden Hellos.</p><p>We are developing further recommendations
for dental contract reform to properly reflect the care needed by different patients,
and to remunerate practices more fairly. We expect to develop options for consultation
with the dental profession in advance of a further announcement later this year. Any
changes would be phased in from 2025 onwards.</p>
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