Bodies representing dentists, community pharmacists, general practitioners and optometrists have called for government intervention to prevent the ‘collapse of primary care’ in Northern Ireland.
Addressed to the health minister, the joint statement was released by the British Dental Association, British Medical Association, Community Pharmacy NI and Optometry NI. It asks the government to approve an exemption to the recently announced National Insurance increase for primary care services.
The statement says: ‘Medical, pharmacy, dental and optometry providers are the front door to the health service for families across Northern Ireland and vital for the transformation of care.
‘Yet these services are under extreme financial pressure, resulting in the closure of general practices and community pharmacies, the most rapid shrinkage of NHS dentistry anywhere in the UK and reduced access to NHS optometry.’
As many care providers operate as small businesses, they will be subject to increased national insurance payments. The four associations said this could ‘risk the collapse of primary care in Northern Ireland’.
The statement continues: ‘Without adequate protection from UK government policy changes, the precarious position of family practitioner services in Northern Ireland will deteriorate further.
‘It is now an urgent imperative for the Northern Ireland Executive to make the case to the UK government for the protection of primary care or risk the collapse of these vital services in communities across Northern Ireland.’
What do national insurance increases mean for dentistry?
The increase in national insurance was announced as part of the autumn budget in October. Employer contributions for national insurance will now increase from 13.8% to 15%.
Dental finance specialist Vinay Rathod said this would likely be ‘a concern’ for ‘struggling NHS practices’. However, he added: ‘Let us hope that step two of this government’s plan is to do better with the more than ample tax revenue this country’s tax payers already contribute.’
Iain Stevenson, head of dental at Wesleyan Financial Services, agreed that the national insurance increase would be ‘unwelcome news’ for dentists. He said: ‘As well as hitting their take-home pay, it will cut into practice profits – making it even harder for dentists to invest in their facilities and teams.’
Matt Everatt, director of S4S Dental Laboratory, said the increase would hit dental laboratories the hardest. While he acknowledged the public good that these taxes can do, he said: ‘They impose substantial financial demands on small and medium-sized businesses.’
He added: ‘With rising costs across the board, many labs will need to reconsider their financial strategies and explore cost-efficient operational changes to remain viable, let alone competitive.’
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