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After the recent introduction of Compass it's fair to say that change is in the air at the BSA. Below we've detailed the changes that the NHS are making and how these may apply to you and your dental software.
Effective from the 1st of April 2016:
- Addition of new clinical data set items for England
- A new exemption category - Universal Credit
- Increase in patient charges for England
- Introduction of Best Practice Prevention Indicator for Wales
New Clinical Data Set Items
The NHS are expanding the expanding the scope of the data collected on FP17 forms to now include:
- the total number of decayed teeth
- the total number of missing teeth
- the total number of filled teeth
This will apply to both adult and child teeth so there maybe up to 6 new boxes to complete in total. You'll see the boxes appear as part of the claim submission process. They'll be pre-filled where possible however you should ensure the information is correct before submitting your claim. At present, this change only applies to practices in England.
You can read the specifics about the decayed, missing and filled indicators here.
New Exemption Category
The Universal Credit exemption category is being introduced to bring NHS dentistry inline with the Governments changes to the benefits system. This new exemption can be used for NHS treatment starting from the 1st of April 2016.
Increase in Patient Charges
NHS patient charges in England will increase by 5% from 1st April 2016. Patient charges in Wales and the Isle of Man will remain fixed.
| Band 1 / Urgent | Band 2 | Band 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | £19.70 | £53.90 | £233.70 |
| Wales | £13.50 | £43.00 | £185.00 |
| Isle of Man | £18.50 | £50.50 | £219.00 |
| 30% of Band 3 charge | 60% of Band 3 charge | |
|---|---|---|
| England | £70.10 | £140.20 |
| Wales | £55.50 | £111.00 |
| Isle of Man | £65.70 | £131.40 |
The Government have also indicated that patient charges will increase a further 5% in England in 2017 so keep an eye out for those next year.
Updating Dentally
To update Dentally to be compatible with the April 2016 NHS changes you have to do... nothing! As always, we handle all of the updates to your dental software for you so you can focus on treating patients. The changes will be automatically applied in time for the 1st of April 2016 but if you have any queries just get in touch with support.
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