Last year the Secretary of State for Health published proposals to make fundamental changes to the way NHS dentistry is managed and provided from April 2005.

The proposals were included in the Health and Social Care Bill that was approved by Parliament and received Royal Assent in November.

Central to the changes is the devolution of responsibility for dental services from the Department of Health to Primary Care Trusts.

The consultation document Health and Social Care Act 2003 - Framework proposal for Primary Service in England from 2005 was circulated to all dentists in England in February.

The BDA have issued a questionnaire inviting comment on the document, which should be returned by 31 March 2004. The BDA will formally respond to the Department of Health by the end of April.

Rest of UK

The changes in the Health and Social Care Act apply to England and Wales. The Welsh Assem-bly Government has yet to clarify its intentions. In Scotland, the Scottish Executive has issued a consultation paper on exploring options for modernising dental services in Scotland. The situation in Northern Ireland is uncertain though policy-makers will be watching closely developments in England and Scotland.