Five dentists take up ‘golden hello’ offer

JUST five dentists have taken up a major financial incentive to recruit them to positions in Devon amid efforts to improve the county’s dental health.

- BRADLEY GERRARD

A national ‘golden hello’ scheme that pays NHS dentists £20,000 to relocate to underserved areas has seen just a handful recruited in Devon in the first two years of the scheme.

The payments, which are made in instalments over three years, only seem to have had a limited effect, and a recent NHS report reveals that 15 posts remain vacant in Devon that attract the £20,000 payment.

While recruitment efforts are ongoing, just two dentists took up the scheme in 2024/25, and three in the 2025/26 financial year.