The government is considering allowing dentists from abroad to work in the UK without taking an exam to address the severe shortage of NHS dentists. This proposal, part of the £200 million NHS Dental Recovery Plan for England, aims to attract more dentists and increase appointment capacity by 2.5 million next year. While the General Dental Council would be granted powers to provisionally register overseas dentists without a test, the British Dental Association criticizes the government for not addressing underlying issues causing dentists to leave the NHS. Despite the plan’s inclusion in England’s dental recovery plan, regulation and registration span the entire UK.
Do you believe that allowing dentists from abroad to work in the UK without an exam is an effective solution to address the shortage of NHS dentists, or are there other measures that the government should prioritize to improve access to dental care for patients?
i feel like it’s a good short term solution as it will bring more dentists into the NHS however it won’t be good in the long term as it’s not fighting the actual issue, and also could also make problems worse socially as many right wing conservatives are already complaining of people from abroad “taking British jobs” so these overseas applicants could be discriminated against by the public
This is alarming. There’s soon going to be lower regulations and potentially a lower quality of care. The least they can do is maintain this exam for applicants.
It’s a good solution to make sure that there’s a steady intake of students, especially when it comes to getting new specialists for NHS. But wouldn’t say it would provide them with a good treatment who couldn’t get in without the exams🫠
I agree, we definitely need more dentist, however ensuring everyone gets good care from their dentist is essential so this doesn’t spiral into another problem.
i feel like if universities started taking in more students and HNS workers were paid what they actually deserve, we could fix this issue but what do i know
