Understand the new contract changes and estimate the financial impact for your practice.
This page outlines the key urgent care changes within NHS dental contracts and includes practical calculators to help practices and associates model the impact.
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1. Mandatory urgent care activity
Contracts may now be required to deliver a set number of urgent Band 1 courses of treatment each year as unscheduled care.
2. Requirement linked to contract value
The annual target is tied to contract value, which means practices need to understand the effect on routine activity planning.
3. Associate package value matters
Where care package arrangements are used, practices and associates benefit from a clear view of credited UDAs, value paid, and retained amount.
What dentists need to know
Urgent care targets affect planning
Practices should understand how urgent activity requirements may change the balance between routine delivery and urgent access across the contract year.
UDA impact can be modelled
A simple estimate can help practices understand nominal UDA value, urgent activity impact, and the routine capacity left within the contract.
Associate package transparency matters
Clear care package calculations help avoid confusion around value, UDA credit, and retained practice income.
Mandated urgent care calculator
Estimate urgent care targets, discharged UDAs, remaining routine activity, and contract value mix.
Associate care package calculator
Model credited UDAs, associate package value, and retained practice value.
Worked example
Contract questions and answers
A quick FAQ to help practices and associates understand the practical impact of the changes.
What is changing in the new contract approach?
The main change is a stronger focus on mandated urgent care activity within NHS contracts, which means practices may need to ringfence part of their delivery for urgent access.
How is the urgent care requirement likely to affect routine delivery?
If more contract value is directed into urgent care activity, the routine UDA capacity available across the year may reduce, so planning and scheduling become more important.
Does this change the value of my whole contract?
Not necessarily. In many cases the overall contract value remains the same, but the mix of activity inside that contract may shift between urgent and routine care.
Why should practices calculate the impact early?
Early modelling helps practices understand likely UDA displacement, forecast delivery pressures, and prepare staffing or diary changes before the contract year progresses too far.
Why is associate care package transparency important?
Clear calculations help both the practice and the associate understand how much value is being credited, how many UDAs are represented, and what level of income is retained by the practice.
Should associates and practice owners both review these figures?
Yes. Practice owners need the wider contract view, while associates benefit from understanding how any care package or urgent care arrangement may affect their activity and pay.
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