AQW 22111/17-22

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 09/09/2021
Answered On Date: 19/10/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health for an update on the General Dental Services Rebuilding Stakeholder Group.

Answer:

In June 2021 the Department of health established the General Dental Services Rebuilding Stakeholder Group (GDS-RSG) to help address the ongoing and immediate issues facing GDS and help to inform decision-making around the medium and longer term issues exacerbated by the pandemic.

The group has met on 3 occasions 16 July, 3 September and 1 October, with the 1st meeting focused on the revisions to FSS which were introduced in September and the last meeting focused on the potential IPC revisions. The next meeting is scheduled for 5 November 2021.

The group was established to provide a focus and momentum to addressing the immediate challenges facing the general dentistry, but also those in the medium and longer term.

To date group discussion has included the following topics:

patient access to GDS;

financial support for general dentistry (including PPE);

changes to Infection, Prevention & Control requirements;

unregistered patients; and

longer term contractual reform.