Exclusive: Minister proposed £10 monthly ‘insurance style’ fee for NHS dentistry

Primary care minister Andrea Leadsom floated the idea at several roundtable meetings held by the Department of Health and Social Care, according to several sources present at or briefed about them.

At one of the meetings, which were in April, a potential rate of around £10 per month was mentioned, they said. It was suggested this would entitle subscribers to regular check-ups and to some other inclusive dental care.

The suggestion appears to be aimed at raising more income to increase NHS capacity and a view that radical reform of contracts and charges may be needed to fix the huge access problem in many parts of England.

One source said Ms Leadsom compared the proposal to “pre-pay” schemes that are used by some people who pay for prescription medicines on a long-term basis. But the source pointed out it sounded more like a “health insurance” style arrangement separate from the NHS, which would be difficult for some to afford.

One health source familiar with the proposal said: “They are framing this as some kind of pre-payment or quid pro quo, but of course we already pay for the NHS through income tax, and in general that is a much more equitable way of doing it.”

They were concerned the government intended it to form part of future dental charging reform, they said. Another said: “It would certainly be new ground for the NHS.”

Jacob Lant, chief executive of National Voices, which was among the organisations represented at the roundtables, said: “With far too many people already avoiding going to the dentist due to cost, we would urge for a significant expansion of eligibility for free NHS dental care.

“This would help address a major barrier which is preventing people from accessing this vital preventative service. Any proposals to change the existing charging structures and amounts would need serious analysis to ensure that existing health inequalities are not exacerbated.” 

He highlighted recent survey evidence showing more than one in five people avoided going to the dentist because of cost in January 2024 — up significantly from 15 per cent just a year before.

Barry Cockcroft, who was England’s chief dental officer from 2005 to 2015, and was also present at the meetings as an independent expert still involved in dentistry, said: “It’s hard to see how it could be implemented, and it’s difficult to imagine how it would cope with people moving [between areas and practices]. There are so many imponderables it’s impossible to think it could ever be implemented.”

British Dental Association general dental practice committee chair Shawn Charlwood said: “If rumours are true, this would see government setting up a payment plan for NHS dentistry that’s more expensive than many private schemes.

“It wouldn’t offer a cure for underinvestment, failed contracts or widening inequality.”

The government and the Conservative party were approached for comment before publication, but did not respond. 

But in a statement after publication on Friday a Conservative party spokesman said: ”We are not introducing this policy, unlike Labour we can completely rule that out.”

Updated at 2.30pm on 7 June with the Conservative party comment..