To ask you if our dentist can strike off husband from their nhs patient list without telling us?

[Teefteefteef]

So posting here for traffic:
Husband lost half of a filled tooth last night. The tooth is more filling than actual tooth. It looks very much like it needs to either be removed or crowned. Not in pain yet but only half the tooth is remaining. He called our nhs dentist to book an appointment. Was told that seeing as he hasn’t had an appointment over the last 3 years that they now consider him a new patient and he would have to pay full private fees because, (surprise surprise,) they aren’t taking on nhs patients at the moment. Does anybody know if there is a code of conduct I can reference? To see if they are actually allowed to just strike people off? We think this may be a bit unfair seeing as they weren’t actually seeing anything other than emergency patients the majority of the time for the first huge chunk of covid. Any insight would be very helpful.

@icedcoffees obviously different at different places. My dentist writes to me by post. Even if the normal practice is to make the next appointment at the previous one, many people had appointments cancelled with no alternative offered due to covid. If that is the case, it is very unfair to remove a patient that they couldn’t have offered a check up to anyway due to limited capacity.

Our NHS dentist doesn't remind us to have regular checkups; but I phoned them every three months during 2020 and 2021 to see whether they were offering checkups yet, just so I knew what was happening. This year when I phoned in September, they surprised me by finally offering appointments so I grabbed the opportunity while I could! I didn't want to give them any opportunity to drop me from the list.

Second Mumsnet share of the day on this:

www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/how-to-find-an-nhs-dentist/

My NHS dentist still isn't doing checkups either. I was considering moving to the private list, as NHS dentistry no longer appears to be a thing round here.

What?!? This is crazy. I had regular appointments with my dentist but it's probably been close to 3 years now thru Covid etc and would be disappointed if I was struck off

[quote Restzol]@icedcoffees obviously different at different places. My dentist writes to me by post. Even if the normal practice is to make the next appointment at the previous one, many people had appointments cancelled with no alternative offered due to covid. If that is the case, it is very unfair to remove a patient that they couldn’t have offered a check up to anyway due to limited capacity.[/quote]
I'm surprised that two years in, some dentists still aren't offering basic check-ups to anyone. I can understand there being a wait or a back-log, but I'd be interested in what reason they're giving to not offer appointments at all.

Yep. Ours does this every 2 years. I completely agree with it to be honest, as it frees up those scarce spaces for people who need them right away!

This has been the case for at least 15 years.

Mine email me about the kids my personal dentist texts and calls me because its on my records that I'm phobic (that's why I have a different dentist to the kids) so they like to make sure I'm coming and I don't forget

Yep. I book my next check up everytime I go so I always have an appointment booked.

Mine almost just kicked me off for being overdue a checkup from August. Never mind I have been shielding and have to get carers to get there AND they haven't answered their phone in weeks. I understand if people miss a lot but from July to now is ridiculous.

Dentists don't have lists like GPs do so there's nothing to be 'struck off'. Effectively it's first come first served, you're just a 'previous customer'.

In addition, some dentists do it to encourage checkups so they can avoid big expensive jobs done at NHS rates: if they catch it early, it can be preventative.

This is why my dental insurance in the States pays entirely for twice-yearly checkups. They would really prefer things didn't get so bad that they had to pony up for half of a root canal.

Ours have struck off half our town for missing appointments. Not one person I have spoken to actually had an appointment made to miss.

@Purplewithred

Dentists don't have lists like GPs do so there's nothing to be 'struck off'. Effectively it's first come first served, you're just a 'previous customer'.

They certainly do have lists. If you don't go within a certain period of time, you're automatically de-registered.

It's not a case of just being a previous customer - if you've been de-registered and their books are full, you're stuffed. You'll need to find a new dentist/practise and if it's anything like here, there's nothing within about 50 miles.

I'm foreign and was not aware of this. Not sure it's that well known to everyone.

Actually no such thing as registration under the NHS anyway. Either they have capacity to see him or they don’t. If they don’t then they are not obliged to see him.

Yes they are really strict now .My DD missed 2 appointments and has had to register privately with a new dentist

Yes they can! No NHS dentists exist near me anyway, you are lucky to have one nearby.

@LegoPandemic

Actually no such thing as registration under the NHS anyway. Either they have capacity to see him or they don’t. If they don’t then they are not obliged to see him.

This may be true, but most practises make you register or sign up with them and can decide not to see you again if you consistently miss appointments or don't come in at all.

@Teefteefteef

So posting here for traffic: Husband lost half of a filled tooth last night. The tooth is more filling than actual tooth. It looks very much like it needs to either be removed or crowned. Not in pain yet but only half the tooth is remaining. He called our nhs dentist to book an appointment. Was told that seeing as he hasn’t had an appointment over the last 3 years that they now consider him a new patient and he would have to pay full private fees because, (surprise surprise,) they aren’t taking on nhs patients at the moment. Does anybody know if there is a code of conduct I can reference? To see if they are actually allowed to just strike people off? We think this may be a bit unfair seeing as they weren’t actually seeing anything other than emergency patients the majority of the time for the first huge chunk of covid. Any insight would be very helpful.

yep they did that to me too. Once you get an NHS dentist you need to make yearly appointments, or they won't hold your place for you. No idea whether it's legal or not though.. :/

Yes this is normal, although due to covid I would have thought they would have disregarded the past two years.

Yes, if you haven’t been for two years you will be removed and next person in the waiting list ( if they have one) will be offered a place. The best way to keep a place is to go regularly and book the next appointment as you go.

Mine removed me because I hadn't been for a year. Despite my trying to get appointments through all the lockdowns. Makes them hit their targets for registering nhs patients.

I haven't been able to find another dentist in 50 miles. It's a scandal.

@Teefteefteef I do sympathise massively, and this exact same thing has just happened to my friend's sister who is 30. She had a filling come out too (on Christmas Eve, typical!) and when she rang her regular NHS dentist on 28th December, she was told she had been struck off the list. She was really upset.

She complained 'yeah but Covid' and so on, but like your husband, she had not been for 3 years. (Last time Nov 2018!) Covid didn't start til March 2020, so that's not a great excuse really... She was meant to have gone for a check up in May 2019, (6 months after her last one,) and cancelled it because she couldn't be arsed to go, and didn't need to.

The dentist was closed because of covid from March 2020, but reopened in late July 2020 until November 2020. So she had a full 5 months to rebook her check up. But she didn't.

They said they wrote to her, (May 2021,) and gave her 3 weeks to contact them, or they would de-register her. But she moved house in October 2019, and never gave the dentist her forwarding address, so it's not really their fault.

She complained that they could have rung her, as she has had the same mobile phone number since 2015. But as has been said, they are a business, and will drop non-attending/poor-attending patients for regular ones, at the drop of a hat. So, whilst it is shit for this to happen, this young woman, and your husband, need to take responsibility themselves for being dropped.

It is common courtesy to let someone know they are about to be struck off, but as other posters have said, they don't have to. It's not law. It sucks that this happens, as you wouldn't be struck off the GP list for not attending for 3 years, nor would it happen at the opticians, but everyone knows what dentists are like, they are really stringent, and you do have to keep up the visits.

Hope he manages to get re-registered with another NHS dentist @Teefteefteef but I doubt he will anytime soon.

Good news though, this young woman I know has an appointment at a private dentist on 7th January, and it's only just over 50% more than the NHS. So the NHS price would be £65 for the treatment, and new private dentist is £103. The only time there would be an issue/huge costs would be if she needed crowns, or bridges.