Government warns against NHS dental pay rise above 2.4%

Any NHS pay award above 2.4% for doctors and dentists in England would have to come from existing health budgets, forcing ‘difficult trade-offs’ in healthcare delivery, the government has warned.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) set out the 2.4% figure in its evidence to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB).

The British Medical Association (BMA) accused ministers of proposing a real-terms pay cut.

‘It beggars belief that at a time when patients are being treated in hospital corridors and car parks, people are waiting too long for a GP appointment and the government’s pledge to bring down waiting lists is stalling, ministers are saying doctors deserve a pay cut,’ said BMA council chair Dr Tom Dolphin.

‘The pay review body, the DDRB, will face a test of its independence, and we urge its members to consider what the NHS and patients really need, rather than be hamstrung by a government telling them it is not prepared to invest properly in the medical workforce.’

The DDRB will make its recommendation after considering evidence from the government, British Dental Association and other organisations.

Scottish dentists receive 3.75%

The BDA are yet to comment on the 2.4% recommendation.

In the previous English pay round, hospital dentists received a 3.5% increase, while salaried dentists working in community dental services received 3.75%. The BDA warned that the settlement did not adequately reflect rising practice costs. Read Dentistry’s full coverage of the 2026/27 dental pay award.

The news comes days after the Scottish Government accepted a 3.75% pay increase for NHS general dental practitioners. The Scottish award covers 2026/27 and will be backdated to April.

Dentistry waits behind other priorities

The pay evidence followed the recent Labour Party conference at which prime minister Andy Burnham placed social care at the centre of the government’s health agenda, promising a National Care Service during the next parliament.

Dentistry received only a passing reference in health secretary Yvette Cooper’s speech, prompting the British Dental Association to criticise the government’s ‘radio silence’ on the NHS dental crisis.

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