Dental Services: Laboratories

(asked on 29th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will issue guidance to dental practices to settle dental laboratory accounts on receipt of NHS contract payments.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 5th August 2020

Dentists holding contracts with NHS England and NHS Improvement have continued to receive their full contract value, paid as usual in monthly equal instalments, throughout the pandemic period. The contract value includes expenses. Dentists contract separately with dental suppliers, including laboratories, for the materials and other supplies they need. Paying for supplies provided is a matter for the individual practice, and if there is failure to pay, the same legal recourse as with any other unpaid debt.

The National Health Service has no standing contractual relationship with laboratories or other dental suppliers and support for the industry throughout the pandemic has come, as with other businesses, through the wide range of financial schemes and help offered by the HM Treasury. Dental laboratories have the same access to this support as other businesses do.

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