National Health Service Dentistry

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament am ar 21 Chwefror 2024.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Jenni Minto Jenni Minto Scottish National Party

I pass on my thanks to all those in the dental profession for their work in maintaining the dental health of the people of Scotland.

This has been an interesting and helpful debate. I am clear that the introduction of payment reform on 1 November 2023 has been a key intervention to improve patient access to NHS dental care. The changes were made in close collaboration and partnership with dentists. The Scottish Government has acted with a significant intervention by introducing major NHS dental payment reform. We have substantially improved fee-per-item payments to provide pricing that better reflects the increased cost of modern dentistry. In addition, we pay a premium on fees to dentists who work in our more deprived communities. When I introduced payment reform, I recognised that it was not a magic bullet, but it is part of a comprehensive plan of reform.