News feed - Practice Plan

All the latest dentistry news, all in one place.

Our dental news feed will be regularly updated to help you stay informed and keep up-to-date with everything that's happening in the industry.

Dental landscape

Reduction of Post-July DCPs on the register 'remains stable' says GDC - but it's not good news for practices looking for nurses

Scotland: Pension issues add pressure to workforce

GDC publishes ethnicity data for the first time

A disproportionately high number of GDC concerns were raised against Asian or Asian British dentists in 2021, the GDC report says. The GDC has today published its 2021 annual statistics, using equality, diversity and inclusion…

Overseas dentists with no training in dental therapy or dental hygiene now outnumber UK trained new registrant therapists and hygienists

The General Dental Council has published its registration and fitness to practise report for 2021.

Contract Reform COVID-19 Dental Profession Finance Mental Health NHS Practice Management Regulation

Last quarter marks significant increase in private practice goodwill

All types of practice have seen an increase in goodwill as a percentage of fee income in the last quarter. This is according to the latest findings from the NASDAL Goodwill Survey. Read more

Is there a trending decline in the value of NHS practices?

Iain Stevenson, head of dental at Wesleyan Financial Services, explores the recently reported drop in NHS practice goodwill valuations and speaks to Chris Strevens from Frank Taylor & Associates for the predictions on future sale value. Read more

Autumn Budget 2021 – what impact will it have on dentistry?

Chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday revealed fresh economic plans for the UK, with £5.9 billion set aside to alleviate NHS backlogs. The huge sum sparked conversations among the profession over whether a chunk will be earmarked for dentistry. A number of other financial measures, however, were announced – many of which will… Read more

NASDAL Sees Normality Returning To Dentistry, While Ross Brooke Advises Incorporation Caution

There are signs of ‘normality’ returning to the business of dentistry according to the results of a newly-released survey. The National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers’ quarterly Goodwill Survey has suggested there are big jumps in the valuations of dental practices and ‘deals completed.’ NASDAL said “In terms of deals… Read more

Medenta appoints V-12 Retail Finance as new broker

Medenta Finance has appointed a new broker to its panel following a surge in demand for dental patient finance. Following a significant increase in the number of requests for finance since the turn of the year, the company has appointed V12 Retail Finance as a broker on its panel of… Read more

NASDAL’S Verdict On The Pandemic Not All Gloom

The coronavirus pandemic didn’t bring all gloom to dentistry according to NASDAL’s ‘State of the Nation’ press conference. The National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers has said that against what many may have expected, the latest period showed very little reduction in practice values due to the pandemic. Read more

London worst affected by lockdown dentist closures

New data released by the NHS has revealed the impact of lockdown-enforced dentist closures in England, with patients in London worst affected as available appointments plummeted to 21 per cent less than 2019. Almost a year on from the initial government-enforced national lockdown, the NHS has released figures which highlight… Read more

NHS Calls For Pay Concerns To Be Aired

NHS dental associates who haven’t been paid fully during the pandemic are being encouraged to give voice to their pay concerns. NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) has launched a new pay concerns year-end form on behalf of NHS England and NHS Improvement. The BSA has said “The expectation from NHS England and NHS Improvement… Read more

Uber Decision – Dental Associates Not Affected

Fears that the Supreme Court’s ruling that Uber drivers must be treated as workers rather than self-employed would have an effect on the tax status of dental associates, have been allayed. The National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers (NASDAL) has now released its opinion on the Supreme Court decision. In the… Read more

Hospital and community dentists to receive pay rise for ‘vital’ COVID-19 work

The pay rise will be backdated to 1st April 2020 and is in recognition of their 'vital contribution' during COVID-19. The pay rise was welcomed by the BDA, but they also said that more needs to be done to sustain the ‘long term integrity of the service’. Read more

Dental practice values rise for sixth quarter in a row, to 159% of gross fees

The value of dental practices has risen for the sixth quarter in a row, NASDAL figures show. Goodwill rose to 159% of gross fees in the quarter up to January, compared to 157% in the previous quarter. The rise mainly comes from a jump in private practice values. Read more

The BDA urges the FCA to consider dentists concerns

The BDA has asked the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to consider the plight of dentists in its legal process to assess the validity of business interruption insurance policies. The FCA is currently seeking "legal clarity" on business interruption insurance. Read more

One in two dentists say financial worries are affecting mental health

Fifty-three per cent of dentists say that financial worries are having the biggest impact on their mental health in the face of COVID-19. That’s according to a survey by Dental Protection which also showed that almost 40% have concerns about a shortage of PPE. Read more