The words to use
- Dental recovery plan
- Faster, Simpler and Fairer (7 February 2024): £200 million of incentives aiming for 1.5 million extra treatments in 2024-25. The NAO found it was not on course.
- New patient premium
- A 2024 payment of £15 or £50 for treating patients not seen for two years. It cost £88 million, new patients fell 3%, and it was scrapped in 2025.
- 10 Year Health Plan
- The government's July 2025 plan for the NHS in England, built on three shifts. For dentistry: urgent care first, a planned tie-in, and a new contract.
- Urgent care requirement
- Since 1 April 2026, every NHS dental contract in England must deliver a set number of urgent treatments each year.
- Complex care pathways
- NHS treatment packages, live since June 2026, that pay practices for treating patients with serious tooth decay or progressive gum disease.
