What Is the Public Accounts Committee?
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is a select committee of the UK House of Commons responsible for scrutinising the value for money of government spending and the delivery of public services. When the PAC investigates NHS dentistry, its findings carry significant weight - they represent independent parliamentary scrutiny of a failing system.
What the 2025 PAC Report Found
The PAC's 2025 report on NHS dentistry was damning in its assessment. Key findings included:
The 5,500 Professional Gap
The committee found a shortfall of approximately 5,500 dental professionals across the UK - encompassing dentists, dental nurses, dental therapists, and hygienists. The PAC described this gap as unsustainable and directly linked to patient access failures that are affecting millions of people across England.
The Dental Nurse Dimension
The PAC report explicitly acknowledged the centrality of dental nurses to the access problem. The legal requirement for a dental nurse to be present at every appointment means that any nursing vacancy directly eliminates dental capacity - the vacancy is not just unfilled staffing, it is a surgery that cannot operate.
The committee found evidence that some NHS practices are running at below clinical capacity because of nursing vacancies, even when the dentist is present and willing to work. This is a direct failure of NHS workforce planning.
NHS Contract Reform Urgency
The PAC called for urgent reform of the NHS dental contract, describing the UDA (Unit of Dental Activity) system as creating perverse incentives that discourage NHS practice and reward throughput over patient outcomes. This contractual dysfunction is identified as a major driver of the attrition that is depleting the NHS dental workforce.
The Workforce Pipeline Problem
The report noted that the training pipeline for dental nurses - while healthy in terms of graduate numbers - is losing qualified nurses faster than it produces them. The PAC called for a national workforce strategy that addresses both recruitment and retention, with particular attention to NHS pay rates.
What the Report Means for Dental Nurses
Your Value Has Been Officially Recognised
The PAC's framing of dental nurses as essential to every appointment - not an optional support role - is an important public affirmation of the profession's value. For nurses negotiating locum rates or making career decisions, this context matters.
NHS Employment Conditions Are Under Scrutiny
The PAC's call for pay reform and better conditions signals that change may eventually come. However, "eventually" may mean years. Dental nurses evaluating their career options in 2026 should not plan on rapid NHS improvement - the structural problems identified by the PAC are the product of decades of policy failure and will not be resolved quickly.
Demand for Locum Cover Will Remain High
The shortfall of 5,500 professionals is not going to be resolved in 2026 or 2027. This means that the demand for locum dental nurses to cover gaps in the permanent workforce will remain strong - and likely grow - over the next several years. For nurses building a locum career, the structural backdrop is favourable.
What the Report Means for Dental Practices
Plan for a Long-Term Shortage
The PAC's report should be treated as a planning document, not just a political one. The message for practice managers is clear: the staffing shortage is structural, not temporary. Practices that adapt their staffing model to assume long-term nurse scarcity - building resilient, flexible arrangements rather than relying on permanent headcount that is hard to fill - will be better placed than those waiting for the shortage to resolve.
Lobby for Change Through Professional Associations
The BDA and dental practice associations have been active in advocating for the reforms the PAC has called for. Practices that want to see policy change should engage with these bodies and with their local MPs.
How NetworkDental Helps
The PAC report describes exactly the environment NetworkDental was built for - a structural shortage where the cost of agency staffing is unsustainable, and direct, verified connections between practices and nurses are the most practical path forward. NetworkDental removes agency fees, automates compliance verification, and gives nurses the flexibility and fair rates that are the sustainable alternative to NHS permanent employment.
The PAC identified the problem. NetworkDental is part of the solution. Join the platform →
