More than half of NHS dentists will quit ‘within five years’, says industry body
1 min read
Around 60% of NHS dentists are preparing to quit the profession in the next five years as a result of underfunding of the service, the industry’s body has warned.
A British Dental Association (BDA) study found that around 58% wanted to move to leave their posts – either to pursue work in the private sector, to practise abroad, to retire or to leave dentistry altogether.
The findings also show that just over half (53%) of young and newly qualified dentists under 35 and working in the health service intend to quit.
However 42% of those young dentists planning on leaving the NHS said would instead try to work in the industry’s private sector.
Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, chairman of the general dental practice committee of the BDA, called on the Government to step in and avert the impending problems.
“It is a tragedy that a decade of underfunding and failure to deliver meaningful reform now risk shutting off the pipeline of NHS dentists,” he said.
“Government has made NHS high street practice so unattractive the next generation are now looking to the exit.
“These young dentists are the backbone of the dental workforce, and losing them at the start of their careers raises existential questions about the future of the service.
“This is a crisis made in Westminster, and Westminster must respond.”
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