The body responsible for pay and conditions in the health service, NHS Employers, and the British Dental Association (BDA) have announced they are starting negotiations to modernise the contract of employment for salaried primary care dentists.
The negotiations will be based on the proposals set out in the Department of Health report Creating the Future – Modernising Careers for Salaried Dentists in Primary Care, which proposed new education, roles and career pathways and pay and grading principles for salaried dentists.
It will result in a new pay structure and terms of service for NHS dentists working in salaried primary dental care services in England from 1 April 2007.
NHS Employers and the BDA have set up negotiating teams drawn from the service to take forward the discussions. The teams will meet regularly during the coming months.
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Eric Rooney, NHS Employers’ lead negotiator, said: “New terms and conditions of service need to reflect the wide variety of roles carried out by generalist and specialist salaried dentists, producing clearer career and development opportunities within a framework which rewards them appropriately for their contribution to the NHS.”
Janet Clarke, the BDA’s lead negotiator and chair of the BDA’s Central Committee for Community and Public Health Dentistry, said: “It is vital for both our patients and colleagues that these negotiations make real progress in rewarding the dedication and hard work of those working in salaried services.”
