Regular Dental Reform Meeting between SG/BDA – 12 April 2023

Present: David McColl, Chair of Scottish Dental Practice Committee (SDPC), Josephine Weir, Deputy Chair of SDPC, Charlotte Waite, Director, BDA Scotland, Tom Ferris, Chief Dental Officer, Gillian Leslie, Deputy Chief Dental Officer, Scottish Government officials.

The CDO welcomed everyone to the meeting.

SG have been engaging extensively with Health Finance and hope to be in an agreed position very soon regarding the budget for dental reform. BDA / SDPC will be informed of these outcome of these discussions at the earliest opportunity and the discussion/negotiation on the setting of fees can progress. BDA / SDPC outlined their continued frustration, that no negotiation on payment reform had yet to commence.

The CDO reported that a letter will be issued to the sector regarding the current QI cycle and BDA / SDPC will be provided advance sight of the letter for comment. The QI cycle will entail a series of webinars on the revised Determination 1 in advance of the launch. The CDO also explained that a workforce census will be taken forward to ascertain the level of WTE working within dental practices in Scotland.

A meeting has been organised for the following week to discuss regulations with BDA / SDPC and what the proposed changes will encompass.

The next SG / BDA / SDPC fortnightly meeting will take place on 26 April and it was agreed that the note would not be published online.