Classification: Official
Publication reference: PRN01979ii
To:
- all community dental service contract holders
cc:
- regional directors of commissioning
- regional directors of primary care and public health
- integrated care board primary care leads
Dear colleague,
National Community Dental Service (CDS) waiting list collection
We would like to confirm an amendment to the ongoing collection of CDS waiting list data, following the publication of the Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) national report on hospital dentistry and subsequent supplementary Community Dental Service report (available on Futures and requires a login).
The amendments to this data collection will support integrated care boards and NHS England to understand:
- actual numbers of patients waiting for assessment and treatment and the duration of this wait in more detail
- trends regarding patients waiting for assessment and treatment
- numbers of patients waiting for assessment and treatment by service, covering routine, general anaesthetic, and sedation services
This amended waiting list data collection for community dental services, will align community dentistry to waiting list data collections that are routinely completed and published across community services, and in the longer term provide time series data.
This collection continues to be a mandatory requirement for all CDS contractors within England regardless of whether they are paid directly by the NHS Business Services Authority.
To support the launch of this amended collection, we will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday 13 August 2025, 1pm to 1.45pm, which will provide support and guidance to contractors along with a demonstration on completion of the new collection. In addition to this webinar, we have also produced associated guidance on the completion of the return which includes questions.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Yours sincerely,
Ali Sparke, Director for Pharmacy, Optometry, Dentistry and the NHS Standard Contract
NHS England