“Golden hellos” offered to NHS Dental specialists

Health officials are ‘hopeful’ that they will find dentists to fill a longstanding gap in NHS provision in southeast Telford.

A meeting was told that ‘golden hello’ payments are being offered to dentists and support staff as well as an increase in the amount that they can get paid for carrying out work for the NHS.

They are also looking to increase the amount of dental work being carried out in Newport where some NHS dental contracts have been “underperforming”, a meeting heard.

An official from NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin told the health and wellbeing board that its “priority one” area, southeast Telford, has been unfilled for some time.

Officials had identified seven key priority areas across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, three of them in Telford.

“After a report 18 months ago we went out and offered additional dental activity,” the meeting was told.

“We got takers for areas two to six but did not get anyone in area one.”

The primary care official said there was “not a lack of willingness” to provide NHS dental services. Dentists told them that they “didn’t have the capacity and were struggling with recruiting dentists”.

Since then officials have increased both the units of dental activity that they commission plus the average unit payments have risen. And golden hello payments are also in place.

The amount paid in golden hellos was not revealed at the meeting but an official confirmed that it is part of a national scheme.

“That makes us a much more attractive place for dentists to provide NHS dental service,” the meeting was told.

“We think we are in a better position now.”

The meeting heard that an investment plan was approved earlier this month with a plan to offer around 10,616 additional ‘units of dental activity’ (UDAs) in Telford, but largely in priority area one.

“We are hopeful that we will get a different response this time and that our dentists are in a position to offer that activity,” the official said.

The meeting was also told that the “good news” is that “dental access for adults and children in Telford and Wrekin is “significantly above the England average”.

But there are three areas with particular challenges and the meeting was told that “we need to do better”.

The meeting was also told that more investment is going into cutting waiting lists for children’s orthodontics.

The official said more dentists are “being attracted” by increases in paid-for activity but there is “challenge” in recruiting support staff such as dental technicians and nurses. They are also being offered golden hellos, which are bonus payments made over three years.

Across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin as a whole, nearly 800,000 UDAs are commissioned by the Office for West Midlands.

The Government has tasked the area with delivering an extra 7,408
appointments on top of the 30,019 already offered across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

It marks an increase of 24.7 per cent in 2025/26 and the local share of the extra 700,000 urgent dental appointments pledged by Whitehall.

The health and wellbeing board welcomed the update.

Councillor Kelly Middleton (Labour, Woodside), the cabinet member for public health and healthier communities, said: “We are keen to keep this on the agenda, it is good that it is being looked at. You have got our support.”