Bupa to Close 85 Dental Practices Across UK Due to Staff Shortage

UK: Bupa, a healthcare group providing NHS and private care, has announced plans to cut 85 dental practices across the UK due to a national shortage of dentists. 

The move will affect 1,200 employed and self-employed staff, representing more than a tenth of its 9,000-strong workforce. Bupa said patients at some practices were unable to access the NHS dental service they need. The group explained that it has been unable to recruit enough dentists to deliver NHS care in many practices for months and in some cases years.

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Bupa’s “Last Resort”

The decision to close, sell or merge the 85 practices has been described as a “last resort” by the healthcare group’s boss, who said the industry faced “systematic challenges”. 

National shortages of dentists have been worsened by the NHS contract model, and because of an increased demand and complexity of care since the Covid pandemic, Bupa warned. The industry has also been affected by inflation and higher energy prices, increasing the cost to run patient services.

Mark Allan, general manager for Bupa Dental Care, said the decision would “allow commissioners to procure local providers for the NHS contract, tailoring services and investment to the needs of the local community”. 

He added that Bupa would redeploy affected staff where possible to different areas of the business. Bupa also said it would hand back the dental contract to the NHS for practices that are set to close, meaning commissioners can find a new provider to continue treating patients in the area.

Reformation and Funding Needed

The British Dental Association expressed concern, saying the service is “approaching the end of the road” unless the government and opposition outline a clear plan to reform and properly fund NHS dentistry. In 2022, the Department of Health announced an additional £50m (USD$6m) to help bust the Covid backlogs, and improving NHS access was identified as a priority.

Bupa emphasised that all the practices will remain open as usual in the meantime. The decision to cut the practices comes after reports of people performing dental procedures on themselves amid a backlog in dental care.

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Mark Allan said: “Despite our continued efforts, the dental industry is facing a number of significant and systemic challenges that are placing additional pressure on providing patient care, in particular recruiting dentists to deliver NHS dental care.”

The move by Bupa highlights the current challenges in the dental industry in the UK, and raises concerns over the accessibility of NHS dental services for patients.