What is a Fully NHS Committed Practice?

As discussed in a previous article, Dentist contractors in Scotland will be reimbursed for certain premises costs by the NHS so long as they satisfy a number of criteria.  One condition of reimbursement is that the practice is a ‘fully or partially NHS committed practice’.

A ‘fully committed NHS practice’ is defined in the current Statement of Dental Remuneration under the NHS (General Dental Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2010 which also addresses whether the practice is a specialised orthodontic practice, another specialised practice or a non-specialised practice.

Specialised Orthodontic Practice

A specialised orthodontic practice will qualify as a ‘fully NHS committed practice’ where each of the following apply:

1. For all categories of patients, the contractors accept referrals for orthodontic treatment under general dental services;
2. Payment has been received for an average of at least 500 claims per dentist (full or part-time) for patient management where the patient is being treated by virtue of a referral from another dentist with whom the patient has a continuing care or capitation agreement;
3. Payment has been received for an average of at least 100 claims per dentist (full or part-time) for fees relating to clinical examination, treatment planning, patient management and advice and reporting of full case assessments; and
4. There are average gross earnings of £75,000 or above per dentist (full or part-time) in the 12 month period immediately preceding the last day of the quarter for which the allowance is payable.

Other Specialised Practice

In terms of other specialised practices, the criteria is identical to that for Specialised Orthodontic Practices with the exception that point (3) extends to the same work carried out in clinical and extensive clinical examinations, in addition to full case assessments.

Non-Specialised Practice

Practices of a non-specialised nature are also a ‘fully NHS committed practice’ if such a practice is one where:

1. Dentists provide general dental services to all categories of patients;
2. There is an average of at least 500 patients per dentist accepted for care/treatment under capitation and care arrangements (whether full or part-time) of which at least an average of 100 per dentist are fee paying adults; and
3. There are average gross earnings of £50,000 or above per dentist (full or part-time) in the 12 month period immediately proceeding the last day of the quarter for which the allowance is payable.

Should you wish to discuss any of the above further in relation to your own dental practice, please do not hesitate to contact the Davidson Chalmers Health Team.

Disclaimer 
The matter in this publication is based on our current understanding of the law.  The information provides only an overview of the law in force at the date hereof and has been produced for general information purposes only. Professional advice should always be sought before taking any action in reliance of the information. Accordingly, Davidson Chalmers LLP does not take any responsibility for losses incurred by any person through acting or failing to act on the basis of anything contained in this publication.