From April 1st the statutory NHS patient charges for Dentistry are as follows:
Band 1 - £22.70
Band 2 - £62.10
Band 3 - £269.30
Urgent - £22.70
Replacement appliance - £80.70 per appliance
The BDA has attacked the latest inflation increase as they find ministers are covering cuts and undermining prevention. Net government expenditure on services in England has fallen by nearly £550 million in real terms since 2010, while charges have increased by over 30%.
Whilst access and prevention are key to success in Dentistry, we find ministers are making it more difficult for patients to actually receive treatment. Some argue that 'Prevention' was meant to be at the heart of the new NHS 10 Year plan. Nearly 1 in 5 patients have delayed treatment for reasons of cost according to official statistics and recent data has pointed to over a million patients unable to secure access to an NHS dentist.
Whilst working for the NHS I can see that underfunding is putting real pressure on dental practices. Whilst discussing the matter with my colleagues, I have found more young dentists are looking to specialise, work in private practice or even move on from Dentistry all together! BDA surveys have found that 3 out of 5 dentists in England say that they intend to reduce their NHS work, or stop entirely, in the next five years.
What are your views?
Fantastic