Sweeping change is coming to NHS dentistry in Wales. From 1 April 2026, the new, completely reformed national dental contract takes effect. This represents the most significant shift in nearly two decades and marks the end of the 2006 UDA‑based system for practices in Wales. In its place is a prevention‑focused, needs‑based model designed to reshape the patient journey and the way practices operate.
As uncertainty remains as to how this new contract will work, Practice Plan is proud to have contributed to a new free guide that lays out the key changes and what they truly mean for your practice. Developed alongside The Dentist, this guide brings together the essential information you need to navigate the transition with confidence.
What’s changing and why it matters
Over the past year, the Welsh Government has been clear about its ambition to create a system that improves access, provides fairer care, and supports better oral health outcomes. Although the intention has been broadly welcomed, many practices have found the finer details harder to understand.
Our guide addresses this head‑on and offers a straightforward explanation of the structural changes. These include:
- The end of UDAs. These are replaced by a contract rooted in prevention and patient need
- A new approach to urgent care. Practices are now required to provide a set number of urgent appointments for new patients each year
- Mandatory new patient assessments. These will include ACORN assessments, caries and periodontal examinations, radiography (where clinically indicated), lifestyle reviews and personalised care planning
- Segmented activity such as 10% new patient assessments, 7% urgent care for new patients, 70% for care packages, and 5% each for prevention and national priorities
- Clearer, simplified patient charges. Patients will be expected to make a 50% contribution, capped at £384 per full course of treatment
- Allocation of new patients managed via the centralised Dental Access Portal (DAP) for all health boards.
These changes have wide‑ranging implications for practices from appointment book structure and workflow planning to financial forecasting and team training. Using plain language, the guide breaks these down so that practice owners, managers and associates can quickly understand what is expected from April onwards.
What the new contract means for your practice
While the headline objective of the new contract is to prioritise prevention and improved access to care, the operational impacts on each individual practice will vary. The guide explores important questions such as:
- How will the new care package system influence appointment scheduling and zoning?
- What will the new recall model (including 18–24‑month intervals for low‑risk patients) mean for activity levels?
- What effect will a shift to a fixed‑rate system rather than variable UDA values affect income and cash flow?
- What could the changes mean for workforce planning and clinical delivery models?
- How will centralised patient allocation via the DAP alter the way practices manage capacity?
The guide makes the new model far easier to understand and visualise in day-to-day practice by laying out the structure of care packages, from restorative options to periodontal, denture, stabilisation and root canal packages.
Considering your options? Talk to Practice Plan
Presented with a change of this magnitude, it’s unsurprising some practices may want to explore what their options might be. Some people may be happy to try a new way of working under an NHS contract while others might want to explore other avenues such as introducing private dentistry alongside providing NHS care or even moving away from NHS dentistry altogether.
Whatever your position, a conversation with us can help you clarify your options. We’ve been working with practices in Wales and the rest of the UK for 30 years, helping them navigate contractual change and evaluate what’s right for their business, their teams and their patients. That’s why we feel justified in describing ourselves as the NHS to private experts.
Whether you’re looking for a clearer understanding of how the new contract could affect you, or you’d like to explore introducing private dentistry alongside a dental membership plan, a no obligation chat with one of our field team members can help give you the full picture.
Get your copy of the guide today
You can download the free guide to the new Wales NHS dental contract here. It offers the clarity, structure and practical detail you may be looking for as we approach April’s implementation of the new contract.
Change of this scale can feel daunting, but with clear information and the right support, it can also be an opportunity. If you’d like to talk through your options or discuss what the new contract means for your practice, Be Practice Plan and get in touch. Visit https://www.practiceplan.co.uk/events/book-your-conversation-with-a-welsh-nhs-to-private-conversion-expert/ or give us a call on 01691 684165. You’ll be in safe hands.