Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help support dental practices meet Government activity targets in relation to NHS contracts, in areas where there are low availability of NHS dentists.

Each dental practice is being asked to deliver at least 85% of contracted units of dental activity between January and March 2021 in order to receive full income support. The increased thresholds are based on data indicating what National Health Service dental practices have achieved to date and consider the most recent update to infection prevention and control guidance.

An exceptions process remains in place and where practices have faced particular challenges in meeting the thresholds as a result of extenuating circumstances, they are encouraged to discuss these with their commissioners. Additional temporary exceptional circumstances arrangements will specifically offer protection for individual members of practice staff who are advised to self-isolate or are unable to work as a direct result of COVID-19 illness, resulting in loss of patient care.