Dentists' pay in England

LAST UPDATED: 30 JULY 2024

How does the July 2024 announcement on pay apply to me?

On 29 July 2024, the Government announced the 2024/25 pay award for staff under the remits of the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body (DDRB). We've set out how it applies to you below.

Contractors

Those holding NHS contracts receive an annual uplift to their contract value.

This annual uplift incorporates two distinct elements of an uplift to pay and an uplift in respect of the costs of delivering care, for example, lab and materials costs. This second category is known as 'expenses' in the Government’s language.

The pay element is derived from the DDRB's recommendation and therefore will be 6%.

The expenses element is determined by the Department of Health and Social Care, and is yet to be confirmed. As a result, it is not possible currently to determine the total contract uplift that those holding NHS contracts will receive at this point.

It is possible that the total contract uplift that those holding NHS contracts will receive once the element in respect of the costs of delivering care is incorporated will be less than 6%.

We continue to strenuously argue that fair remuneration for dentists must include an appropriate uplift with regard to the costs of delivering care. These are cost increases that cannot be left unfunded and to be borne by practices. A failure to account for them critically undermines the overall outcomes of the pay review process.

Associates

The pay uplift does not apply directly to associates' incomes. While there is no requirement for practices to increase associate pay, associates might reasonably look to the headline 6% uplift for an indication of an expected uplift in their own income, and it would therefore be prudent for practices to increase pay in line with the 6% pay uplift.

However, we recognise that practice income has been under enormous pressure for a number of years and therefore any decision on pay increases for associates will inevitably reflect local business circumstances, and will be a matter for direct negotiation between the parties. Current recruitment difficulties may also be a factor in pay negotiations between associates and practice owners. We encourage associates and practice owners to discuss their contractual terms in light of the uplift, when it is implemented.

Employed NHS dentists

Those dentists in employed NHS roles will have the pay uplift applied to their salary.

For hospital dental trainees in England the uplift will be 6% plus a consolidated uplift of £1,000 to the pay points. For specialist and associate specialist (SAS) doctors on the 2021 contract, the uplift will be 6% on top of the increase for 2024-25 already agreed as part of the multi-year deal.

For all others in employed NHS roles, such as in the CDS, academia, those on the pre-2021 SAS contract, and hospital consultants, the uplift will be 6%.

At the time of preparing this update there is a final pay offer presented for England Junior Doctors and Hospital Dental Trainees that will be put to members of the BMA and BDA via a referendum.

Further details will be sent to relevant members and further information on the deal can be found on the BMA website.

Armed Forces dentists

For Armed Forces dentists, rates of base pay will increase by 6% for all ranks within the MODO cadre from 1 April 2024.

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