NHS Compliance (Wales / Care Package) Updates for 1 April 2026

  This article contains preliminary information and will be updated in the coming weeks.

Updated Care Package Workflows for Wales

Sensei Cloud delivers full compliance for NHS Wales dental claims effective 1 April 2026. The banded treatment model is being replaced with care package workflows:

• Urgent and non-urgent care packages
• Updated validations and fees
• A £384 patient charge cap (excluding laboratory fees)
• Ledger posting
• Lab fee handling
• Referral updates

All submissions on or after 1 April 2026 must use the new format, including resubmissions, ensuring a smooth transition for practices.

Automated Care Package Creation

Care package treatment plans are created in the same way as existing NHS dental treatment plans. Sensei Cloud automatically computes the correct list of care packages directly from the procedures and categories in the treatment plan, as well as the patient's age and other applicable criteria. Care packages can be reviewed and edited as needed from the Plan details.

This change removes references to UDAs and treatment/activity bands in multiple areas of the software, including Dental Treatment Plans, Claim UIs, and the Dental Chart.

Urgent Care Package

You can activate the urgent care package at plan creation by selecting Urgent Treatment. The software provides validations that prevent disallowed procedures, and disallows combining urgent and non-urgent packages. 

Patient Charge Calculation with Cap

Patient charges are computed automatically per the new schedule, including age-based pricing for New/Initial Assessment and Recall, and a claim-level cap of £384 (excluding laboratory items).
 

Editable Care Packages on the Claim UI

The NHS Claims Management screen includes a recap of inferred care packages and allows authorized users to override, add, or remove packages, and to adjust counts.

Referral Option Changes 

In Wales, the Treatment on Referral option has been replaced with two more specific options:
- Referral for Advanced Services
- Referral for High Needs

These changes are also reflected in the Other Services section of the View/Update Claim window.

Note: The Charge for Additional Services option has been removed, as it was only available when Treatment on Referral was selected.

Laboratory Fee Management

Practices can add Regular Laboratory Fees and Lab-Fee Commissioner Approved on applicable care packages. Claims include the new fee when commissioner approval is recorded. 

Note: Commissioner-approved fees should be used only for exempt or remitted patients.

Updated Claim Submission and Data Management

All Welsh claims with a Date of Acceptance on or after 1 April 2026 must use the new care package format and codes (including 9201, 9202, 9212–9222, 9206, 9207, 9208), and no dental banding.

The software applies validations these items before allowing a claim to be marked Ready to Send:

• Date
• Geography
• ACORN requirement
• Exam limits
• Single-package rule

Note: A legacy claim disclaimer blocks Ready to Send status when a plan accepted before 1 April 2026 is completed on or after that date without care packages. The message offers guidance to convert the plan details or to use Compass temporarily. 

Two-Months Rule Discontinuation

Sensei Cloud no longer enforces the "two months" rule between consecutive NHS dental courses of treatment. When you create/accept a new plan or mark a claim Ready to Send, the system does not or adjust patient charges based on a prior plan completed within the previous two months. 

Regulation 11 Restrictions

Sensei Cloud restricts Regulation 11 to Orthodontic courses of treatment. On orthodontic plans, Replacement Appliance and Two Replacement Appliances options remain available.

Note: Replacement appliance options are no longer available on Dental treatment plans because Regulation 11 items are now restricted to Orthodontic treatment plans only, in accordance with current NHS Wales regulations. Orthodontic workflows remain unchanged.