The 2026 Welsh GDS contract explained for practice owners

3 July 2026 · 5 min read

On 1 April 2026 the reformed General Dental Services contract came into force across Wales. It is the first major reform in 20 years and it removes the Unit of Dental Activity entirely. If you hold a GDS contract, the way you are paid, the way you recall patients and the way new patients reach you have all changed.

What replaced UDAs?

The banding system is gone. Treatment is now organised into care packages grouped by clinical need, complexity and time, with a general fee rate of £150 per hour. Treatment is delivered as complete packages of care rather than single items of service, and the performing dentist warrants the treatment for two years. Lab work for dentures now sits separately from the clinical fee.

How do recalls work now?

Recall intervals are set by risk and need, in line with Delivering Better Oral Health. Low-risk patients move to 18 to 24 month recalls, and practices receive a capitation payment to keep seeing those patients rather than returning them to a central list. Prevention activity, including fluoride application and a tailored care plan, is a condition of payment.

What do patients pay now?

Paying NHS patients are charged 50% of their treatment package value, capped at £384 regardless of how much care they need. Around half the Welsh population remains exempt, including under-18s and pregnant women. Expect questions at reception: the single Band 3 fee patients understood has gone.

Where do new NHS patients come from?

This is the change most principals underestimate. New NHS patients are allocated through the Dental Access Portal, a central waiting list managed at health board level, with limited exceptions such as children of existing NHS patients. Your practice no longer controls how quickly your NHS list grows.

What does this mean commercially?

Private new patients are now the only patient flow your practice fully controls. Under the old contract a strong local reputation filled both books. Under the new one, your NHS intake is decided by the portal, and your private intake is decided by how visible you are when someone searches for a dentist, checks your reviews or lands on your website.

Practices with a fast, mobile-friendly site, an active Google Business Profile and a clear private offer will grow. Practices relying on the portal will wait.

What should practice owners do now?

Three things. First, make sure your website explains your private and plan options in plain English, because patients are confused by the new charging structure. Second, keep low-risk patients warm between long recalls with reviews, email and social activity. Third, measure what a new private patient actually costs you to acquire. Well-run local campaigns achieve £59 to £67 per patient against a UK benchmark of £150 to £300.

Want to know where your practice stands? Book a free 15-minute practice audit and we will show you what patients see when they search for you.

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