Contracts overhaul 'could slash dental wait times'

Manx Care said restructuring appointment times and offering incentives to dentists could boost capacity

An overhaul of NHS dental contracts on the Isle of Man could slash waiting lists by more than 93%, Manx Care has claimed.

Set to cost up to £700,000 per year, the health care provider believes new contracts negotiated with providers could reduce the number of people waiting for appointments from 6,112 to 417 by April 2026.

As part of the update, patient repeat appointment times will be "stretched" from six-monthly check-ups to up to two years for some patients, to create extra capacity.

Manx Care confirmed it was also in the process of securing extra services in the north of the island after a Ramsey practice handed back its contract in February.

Chief executive Teresa Cope said the funding would come from the provider's existing annual budget of £361m in this financial year, and the funds would need to be built into future budgets.

She said NHS dental care contracts had "fallen out of step" with those offered in England and Manx providers would now see payments for "a unit of dental activity" increase from between £28 and £34, to a standard rate of £36.

The agreements - which contain targets for the number of procedures to be carried out over a given period - are awarded to a number of independent practices across the Isle of Man.

'Fundamental issues'

Five out of seven providers have agreed to sign up to the new contract, with practices in Douglas, Onchan, Ramsey, Peel and Port Erin.

Ms Cope said the new structure was "fair and equitable" would "incentivise" dentists to take on more NHS dental work.

While she understood concerns from patients who would be used to more regular check ups, she said any changes to recall times would be based on clinical need.

As part of the changes, Manx Care said a tender process would also begin in the coming weeks to "replace and expand" on NHS services previously offered by Grove Mount Dental Practice in Ramsey until March.

When in place, NHS patients from the practice who have been waiting to be reassigned will be transferred, and extra capacity for a further 900 patients created.

The body also confirmed a dentist from the Manx Care-run Hillside Dental Practice has been seeing patients for one morning per week in a bid to reduce waiting times.

Herman Van Rooyen, who owns dental practices in Douglas, said the changes marked "the beginning, not the end" of the island's "improvement journey".

"The roll-out will take time, but it creates the foundation we need to address fundamental systemic issues," he said.

Health minister Claire Christian said the changes would ensure that "more people can access timely, high-quality dental care, no matter where they live on the island".