Following the publication today of a public accounts committee report into NHS financial sustainability, the Dental Defence Union (DDU) said the NHS should enact long promised reforms aimed at controlling the costs of clinical negligence cases.
The MDU, the parent company of the DDU, was one of the few healthcare organisations to submit written evidence to the committee.
Leo Briggs, deputy head of the DDU, said:
"We are pleased to see this renewed focus on reversing the NHS’s financial deficit, which continues to worsen. We agree with the committee's findings that the NHS must be put on a financially sustainable footing if it is to deal with the multiple challenges it currently faces.
"Key to that must be to introduce legal reforms to the current clinical negligence system to protect NHS finances from further erosion. Not only will this help the system to cope with the challenges like tackling waiting lists, but it will also help the NHS to focus more money on recruiting and retaining more staff and improve their wellbeing.
"We are acutely aware that the current regime for clinical negligence claims along with workplace pressures has a profound impact on the welfare of dental professionals with many cutting back their hours or retiring early.
"It is worrying that 41% of respondents to an earlier DDU survey told us they are planning to reduce their hours because of these pressures and 31% are planning to leave practice or retire, while 45% are reprioritising their workloads.
"Eight in ten (80%) of those responding said they feel negative about the future of the NHS. These sentiments are very real and will make it difficult for the NHS to implement the committee’s recommendation to identify the actions and initiatives needed to achieve unprecedented increases in productivity."
The DDU has suggested a package of measures to reform the clinical negligence system and to support the health and wellbeing of the workforce, including:
- The introduction of fixed recoverable costs in lower value cases valued up to £25,000 with a view to extending to claims of higher value. The previous government believed such a scheme would result in a saving of approximately £454 million over a ten-year period.
- A change in the law that currently allows claims to be valued on the basis care will be provided in the private sector rather than the NHS.
- Continued funding for programmes and services that ensure support for dental professionals when they feel at risk of, or experience burnout.
This page was correct at publication on 30/01/2025. Any guidance is intended as general guidance for members only. If you are a member and need specific advice relating to your own circumstances, please contact one of our advisers.