What arrangements has the Cabinet Secretary put in place to monitor and evaluate the impact of the new dental contract taking effect in April 2026?
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care | Answered on 25/03/2026
Welsh Government officials are working closely with representatives from health boards and the dental profession through an established and well-functioning implementation group. This group will play a key role in monitoring the impact of the new contract arrangements.
A range of actions have been put in place to ensure safe implementation and maintain accountability:
- Clear operational guidance about care package delivery was published in November 2025 in the form of a series of vignettes, which outline exemplar scenarios linked to national clinical guidance. We will keep this updated.
- A series of webinars and Q&A updates have been provided ahead of the go live date. We will maintain this engagement through the first six months.
- A proportionate, risk-based assurance approach has been adopted with the NHS Business Services Authority. We will maintain close monitoring to identify any data/recording errors to enable health boards to provide directed support. If persistent issues arise, health boards will prioritise remedial action plans and targeted support.
- Transparent practice-level reporting and feedback loops have been enabled so providers can track delivery against plan and escalate operational hurdles early.
- Joint working with local dental committees and the dental profession, including a structured review at six and 12 months to identify any technical refinements. This will form part of the evaluation of the new contract.