NHS England increases activity target to 85 per cent

From January 1, 2022, NHS practices will be obliged to meet 85 per cent of their pre-covid activity levels or face financial penalties – 90 per cent for orthodontic contracts. Nearly two-thirds of practices currently estimate they are incapable of achieving these levels.

Dentist leaders say bringing in close to pre-pandemic volumes of patients into high intensity NHS practices is entirely at odds with wider measures set out by government in response to the new variant and will put both patients and staff at unnecessary risk.

The BDA has stressed NHS England must be prepared to rapidly review, reverse and potentially reduce existing NHS target levels, if the new variant achieves anything like the levels of cut-through currently modelled. Practices are already reporting a major spike in cancellations and staff sickness.