Grants and Allowances for Independent General Dental Practitioners
These grants and allowances have been introduced in consultation with the Scottish Dental Practice Committee.
New and returning practitioners
A "Golden Hello" allowance of £10,000 over two years for dentists who join the dental list of an NHS Board (NHSB) within three months of completing their training. If this is a designated area* the allowance is doubled to £20,000 over two years.(Determination XIII).
A Vocational Trainee allowance of £3,000 for newly qualified dentists taking up vocational training. If this is in a designated area* the allowance is doubled to £6,000(Determination XIII).
An allowance of £5,000 over two years for dentists joining the dental list of an NHSB in Scotland for the first time or on re-entry to a dental list in Scotland after a break of five years. If this is in a designated area* the allowance is doubled to £10,000over two years(Determination XIII).
TheReturn to Work schemeoffers grants under the Scottish Dental Access Initiative. Dentists returning to the profession after a break of two years or more can receive quarterly payments for the first year back in NHS practice, reimbursement of indemnity insurance costs and free (in most cases) training courses from NHS Education for Scotland (NES). Practice owners who take on a returner also receive a payment to offset the slower workrate of a returner in their first yearback (NHS: 2003 PCA(D)2).
*Designated areas include: Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles,Highland , Borders, Dumfries & Galloway, Grampian, Fife andArran within Ayrshire & Arran.
Established practitioners
Commitment payments have been extended to cover assistants from 1 April 2003(Determination IX) (Contact: Practitioner Services).Quarterly payment have been increased by 25% with effect from 1 April 2007.
Capital Grants
Vocational Training Practice - grants of up to £10,000(subject to NHS commitment) to ensure that appropriate NES standards are met by dentists wishing to establish a new Vocational Training practice or to improve an existing one(Determination X).
Scottish Dental Access Initiative- grants of up toto £100,000 can be provided for the establishment of a new NHS dental practice or the purchase or relocation of an existing NHS dental practice, which must include a dedicated decontamination room(s). Where it is intended that the practice has more than 1 surgery then the grant can be increased by £25,000 per additional surgery over and above the first.
grants of up to £50,000for each of the first two surgeries over and above the number of surgeries in the current practice and £25,000 per additional surgery over and above the first additional two surgeries to dentists proposing to expand existing NHS practices in areas of unmet patient demand or high oral health need. Further information can be obtained from NHS Boards. (NHS: 2007 PCA(D)5 refers).
Quality Initiatives
General Dental Practice Allowance- increased from April 2005 to 6% of NHS earnings or to 12% of NHS earnings from October 2005 for practices that meet the new definition of a NHS committed practice. This is to address increasing requirements in relation to the provision of high quality premises, health and safety, staffing support and information collation and provision.(Determination XIV).
Sedation Practice Allowance - calculated with reference to NHS earnings up to a maximum of £3,000 per practice.This is for practices offering such services to agreed standards and conditions (sedation practice inspection) which will be developed with the profession(Determination XIV).
Practice Improvement Funding- enables dentists to upgrade their practices, particularly in respect of the Disability Discrimination Act and decontamination; to improve patient safety and access or to introduce new environmental measures(Determination X).
Clinical Audit Allowance - Since 1 April 2002 it has been mandatory that all dentists in Scotland who provide general dental services take part in at least 15 hours of clinical audit during each 3 year period. This allowance, payable for undertaking approved projects in the relevant period is calculated at an hourly rate of £62.93(Determination XI).
Continuing Professional Development Allowance - The standard Continuing Professional Development Allowance is £110.10 for education sessions of more than 1 hour and up to 2 hours and £220.20 for education sessions of 2-3.5 hours not exceeding £1,321.20 less any abatement. Remote island dentists can claim an additional allowance of £220.20 or £440.40 less any abatement and remote mainland dentists can claim an additional allowance of £110.10 or £220.20 less any abatementfor the same sessions in recognition of the longer journey that they must make to their nearest postgraduate centre(Determination VII) (Contact: NES or Practitioner Services).
Remote Practitioners
Remote Areas Allowance - increased payment from April 2005 of £9,000 per year to encourage dentists servicing some of the remotest communities to continue practising in these areas. Definition of remote area extended from 1 April 2006.(Determination XII).
Vocational Trainers
Trainers Allowance - Vocational trainers receive a grant of £1,045 per month. In addition, vocational trainers receive a Vocational Training Practice Allowance of £1,500per annum(Determinations IV and XIV) (Contact: NES for trainer's allowance and Practitioner Services for Practice Allowance).
Senior Practitioners
Seniority Payments - senior dentists can earn a potential £14,000per annum through seniority payments(Determination III).
Deprived Areas Allowance
Payable to a dentist who provides general dental services in a deprived area defined as SIMD 5 or DEPCAT 7 and as advised by the CSA (Determination XVI)
For 2006/07, up to £9,000 per dentist was payable.
For 2007/08 onwards payment will be made based on patient postcode. Information about this will be issued in due course.
Information about these grants and allowances can be found in the SDR Determinations and circulars. Any further enquiries should be made to the local NHS Board unless an alternative is stated above