Wales NHS Care Packages
From April 2026 Welsh NHS claims no longer use UDAs as the method of payment, moving to a set of care packages.
Overview
Care packages are a set of standardised treatment bundles (codes 9201–9223) that replace UDA banding for all Welsh NHS dental contracts. Each package has a fixed NHS fee paid to the practice and a fixed patient charge. The maximum a patient can be charged per course of treatment is £384.00 (excluding lab fees).
Children under 18 are exempt from patient charges on most packages.
Care Package Types
Urgent Care (9201)
For emergency or unscheduled treatment. This is a standalone package — it cannot be combined with any other care package on the same claim.
- NHS Fee: £75.00
- Patient Charge: £37.50
- Warranty: 12 months
New Patient Assessment (9212)
For a patient's first visit to the practice (not seen in the previous 36 months). This is a standalone package.
Fees are age-dependent:
| Age Group | NHS Fee | Patient Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | £80.00 | £0.00 |
| 1–4 years | £75.00 | £0.00 |
| 5–12 years | £70.00 | £0.00 |
| 13–17 years | £60.00 | £0.00 |
| 18+ | £54.41 | £27.21 |
Recall (9222)
For routine recall appointments. This is a standalone package.
| Age Group | NHS Fee | Patient Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | £55.00 | £0.00 |
| 18+ | £50.00 | £25.00 |
Recall 18–24 Months (9223)
For patients whose previous recall interval was 18–24 months. No NHS fee is paid (covered by capitation). Patient charge is £25.00 for charge-paying adults. This is a standalone package.
Treatment Packages
Treatment packages can be combined with each other on the same claim. Some packages allow multiple instances (e.g. up to 3 Extended Restorative packages on one claim).
| Code | Package | NHS Fee | Patient Charge | Max Instances | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9213 | Simple Caries | £72.06 | £36.03 | 1 | 24 months |
| 9214 | Extended Restorative | £137.50 | £68.75 | 3 | 24 months |
| 9215 | Periodontal | £97.06 | £48.53 | 2 | 24 months |
| 9216 | Anterior RCT | £182.35 | £91.18 | 6 | 24 months |
| 9217 | Posterior RCT | £365.44 | £182.72 | 8 | 24 months |
| 9218 | Crown/Bridge | £280.88 | £140.44 | 14 | 24 months |
| 9219 | Denture | £172.79 | £86.40 | 1 | 24 months |
| 9220 | Stabilisation | £150.00 | £75.00 | 1 | 24 months |
| 9221 | Miscellaneous | £50.00 | £25.00 | 1 | — |
Note: Stabilisation (9220) is standalone and cannot be combined with other treatment packages.
10% Cap: Posterior RCT (9217) and Crown/Bridge (9218) are subject to a 10% cap on the Care Package Service Line per financial year. Once the threshold is reached, no further fees are credited for these items.
Selecting Care Packages
When creating an FP17 claim for a Welsh contract, the Care Packages selector replaces the traditional UDA band picker.
How It Works
Auto-Suggest
Click the Auto-Suggest button to have the system recommend care packages based on the treatment items already recorded on the treatment plan. This is a suggestion only — you should review and adjust the selection as needed.
Sending the claim
- Open the FP17 form for a Welsh contract
- The Care Packages section displays the packages added to the plan
- For packages that allow multiple instances, use the quantity field to set the number
- The patient charge and NHS fee totals update automatically
- If the patient charge exceeds £384, it is automatically capped
Standalone vs. Combinable
Standalone packages (Urgent, Assessment, Stabilisation, Recall 18-24) must be claimed on their own — selecting one will clear any other selected packages
Treatment packages (Simple Caries, Extended Restorative, Periodontal, etc.) can be combined together on a single claim
Patient Charges
Charge Cap
The total patient charge for a course of treatment is capped at £384.00. If the combined charges from selected packages exceed this amount, the system automatically reduces the charge to £384.00.
Lab fees are charged on top of the £384 cap for charge-paying patients.
Exemptions
Exempt and remitted patients pay £0.00 in patient charges, the same as the current UDA system. Exemption categories (e.g. under 18, pregnant, income-based) remain unchanged.
Lab Fees
Certain packages allow lab fees:
- Crown/Bridge (9218)
- Denture (9219)
- Miscellaneous (9221)
Lab fees up to £1,000 can be added without commissioner approval. If the lab fee exceeds £1,000, commissioner approval is required — select the Lab Fee Commissioner Approved (9208) indicator code.
The lab fee will be added as a separate treatment item on the plan, where you can edit the amount if required.
Warranties & Guarantees
Most treatment packages include a 24-month warranty (12 months for Urgent Care). If a patient returns within the warranty period for retreatment of the same item, you submit a new FP17 using guarantee codes instead of the original treatment package.
Guarantee Codes
| Code | Covers |
|---|---|
| 9203 | Permanent Restorations (fillings) |
| 9204 | Root Fillings (endodontics) |
| 9205 | Crown / Bridge / Inlay / Onlay / Veneer |
Guarantee codes carry no NHS fee and no patient charge — the retreatment is covered by the original warranty.
Using Guarantee Codes
- When creating an FP17 for warranty work, select the appropriate guarantee code in the Guarantee Items section
- The system will check for an active warranty on the patient and show a confirmation
- If no active warranty is found, a warning is displayed — the claim may be rejected by BSA
ACV (Annual Contract Value) Tracking
Welsh contracts track achievement against the Annual Contract Value across four segments:
| Segment | Description | Typical % of ACV |
|---|---|---|
| Care Packages | General treatment (9213–9221) | 70% |
| New Patients | Initial assessments (9212) | 10% |
| Urgent | Emergency care (9201) | 10% |
| Prevention | Recalls (9222, 9223) | 10% |
The ACV Dashboard shows progress against each segment for the current NHS financial year (April–March).
Key Points
- Each submitted claim automatically credits the appropriate ACV segment
- The Prevention segment is capitated — fees are paid regardless of activity level
- The Care Packages segment is subject to a cap — achievement beyond the target is not paid
- The dashboard updates as claims are submitted and responses received from BSA
Administrative Indicator Codes
These codes carry no fee or patient charge but are used to flag specific circumstances on a claim:
| Code | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 9202 | Non-urgent care indicator (added automatically to all non-urgent claims) |
| 9206 | Referral for Advanced Mandatory Services |
| 9207 | Referral for High Needs / Complex Care |
| 9208 | Lab Fee Commissioner Approved (lab fees over £1,000) |
| 9209 | Replacement Bridge or Denture |
Key Differences from UDA System
| UDA System (pre-2026) | Care Packages (from April 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment unit | UDAs (weighted activity) | Fixed-fee packages |
| Patient charges | 3 band levels | Per-package charges, capped at £384 |
| Claim structure | Single band per course | Multiple packages can be combined |
| Warranties | Not tracked | 24-month warranty with guarantee codes |
| Contract tracking | UDA target | ACV split across 4 segments |
| Recalls | Included in Band 1 | Separate standalone package |
| Lab fees | Included in band fee | Charged separately on eligible packages |