Nigel Jones chats with Simon Thackeray about the chancellor’s request for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate private dentistry.
In the most recent episode of Practice Plan’s In the Loupe podcast series, Nigel Jones, strategy director at Practice Plan, chats with Simon Thackeray, practice owner and president of the British Association of Private Dentistry (BAPD), about the chancellor’s request for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate private dentistry.
While initial media coverage implied price fixing and profiteering, both speakers explain that the actual letter sent to the CMA was measured and exploratory. They argue that inflammatory headlines have distorted public perception, despite a lack of evidence that private dentists are ‘ripping patients off’.
A central theme of their discussion is dental inflation, which the BDA estimates at around 24% over the past two to three years. In contrast, BDA data suggests private dental fees have increased by closer to 14%, meaning many practices are absorbing significant cost pressures rather than protecting margins.
These rising costs include:
- Staff pay increases linked to the national living wage
- Higher national insurance contributions
- Escalating lab fees and material costs
- Investment in high‑tech equipment with slow returns
- Non‑recoverable VAT adding an effective 20% to many purchases.
Most private dentistry is ‘bread-and-butter clinical care’
Simon points out most private dentistry is not ‘Harley Street cosmetic work’, but bread‑and‑butter clinical care that has simply become financially unsustainable under NHS contracts.
The conversation returns to why dentists are leaving the NHS. Flat UDA rates, rising costs and growing regulatory pressure mean NHS practices often cannot make the numbers work. Moving private allows clinicians to see fewer patients, spend more time per appointment and deliver care that reflects its true cost.
Rather than fearing the CMA inquiry, they conclude it could be an opportunity to educate policymakers on the real cost of dentistry and reset the narrative around the shift from NHS to private care.
Listen to the full podcast above.
If you’re considering your options away from the NHS and are looking for a plan provider who will hold your hand through the process at a pace that’s right for you, you can start the conversation with Practice Plan today by calling 01691 684165 or to book your one-to-one NHS to private conversation at a date and time that suits you, just visit practiceplan.co.uk/nhsvirtual.
To find out more about introducing a plan, and how Practice Plan can help you, visit practiceplan.co.uk/nhs.
This article is sponsored by Practice Plan.
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