Dentist wants 95 pounds to register child as an NHS patient

[surreyisik]

Hi all,
Just wanted to get some views here. High street dentist wants us to register as a patient first to take DS as an NHS patient. It's fine until this point, but they say they can only do this if we register as a private patient ourselves (£95) and get checked regularly with at least something basic such as teeth cleaning (£75)
Do you think this is acceptable? Why do we have to pay to make sure our son can become an NHS patient and not pay?? It feels unfair, especially for families who can't afford it.

No it's not OK. I don't know what planet people are on where they think that kids can only access NHS dentistry if their parents register as private patients. For families on benefits how is that fair? I am prepared to forego treatment but I don't see why my disabled son should.

Loads of threads on the shit show that is NHS dental provision now.

"PandorasBoxers · Today 20:57
This isn’t what the GDC is for, you can raise it with the NHS board but they’re not going to do anything with that information as it’s common practice."

Do you not think that this is covered by: "Undermine public confidence in the dental profession."? I think it might...

You should report this to the relevant authority in your jurisdiction. The NHS General Dental Contract states that a dentist cannot deny NHS care to a patient based on whether they or a family member accepts or intends to accept private care.

My private dentist charges £160 for teeth cleaning. Sounds like you've got a bargain.

Unfortunately dentists are not a charity but a business which is they are willing to accept children as nhs patients if they are benefiting from the parents being private patients.

That’s insane! Mine charges £60

They dont have any NHS provision.
So they arent denying any NHS provision.
But as a courtesy take on the kids as NHS patients of any private patients.

This is common practice.

From the NHS website:

Your dentist should not:

• offer NHS treatment to children on condition that a parent or guardian becomes a private patient

"can only do this if we register as a private patient ourselves (£95) and get checked regularly with at least something basic such as teeth cleaning (£75)"

I went to my NHS dentist for my hygienist appointment (teeth cleaning) last week, it now costs £70 and I need to go twice a year. So what you have been offered does not sound bad 'value'.

They arent doing that.

They are offering their private patients a courtesy.

Obviously the end result is the same, but maybe the practice worded it wrong. Depends exactly what they said to op.

Whether they said' We will only see your kids if you register as a private patient'

Or asked op if she wanted to register as private and talked about the benefits of this.

It is unacceptable and what's worse my NHS practice went private and there was nothing in the area taking on so me and DH had to become private and they took our son on for free because his parents were private patients

After a year they decided children should be £5 per month

This year they decide it should be £7.50 per month for children

Fucking raging with The lot of them, I understand the majority are not happy with their NHS contracts but I really feel ours took advantage of parents by doing this to us

Its difficult to even find practice that take pm children as free.

More and more are asking for the kids to be private too.

For those asking about people affording it, If you are on a low income or benefits you don’t have a dentist and neither do your dc. You can get dental care in an emergency but only if it’s very very severe. Your dc will be on a ‘waiting list’ with dentists until adulthood. I know this because I work with lots of people in this situation. Babies being born now will likely never see a dentist during their childhood.

Also soon enough the same will apply for other care. It’s already true that SALT are only able to take cases based on the most severe need. There is no waiting list as such anymore and it’s not first come first served it’s now decided by severity or crisis. How that is decided I don’t know. It’s hard to say that one child’s suffering is more severe than the next. Treatment and services once offered on the nhs are no longer available. Including life changing stuff.

If you want your dc to not live a life of pain or to have the slightest chance to meet their potential then you need to pay.
It is what it is. The nhs can’t continue to fund everything for everyone. The line has been drawn. It’s understandable. Sucks if your poor though.

You are absolutely right.

We spent our house deposit on private occupational therapy and paediatricians/neurologists and mental health practioners for our ds.

We'll never own a home but his needs couldnt wait. It took NHS OT 18 months just to send a report and a neurologist was a 2 year wait.

It absolutely riles me that we had to do this while still paying into the NHS. Having to pay £7.50 pm for a dentist was just the last straw, as I felt this is surely one area of the NHS that should be a preventative healthcare for all children.

This has been the case for the full 20 years my children have been going to the dentist.

You don't have to go private. Up to you. You and your kids can travel for NHS care somewhere else.

I don't think you understand how you stay on the list as a private patient. It's not like the GP. You need to visit regularly or they withdraw you and take on other paying clients instead. At least, that's what my practice does ... and yours by the sounds of it

As a perk, your child gets NHS treatment. That's not really connected to the rule about the regular check ups - that will apply to all patients, with and without children. Don't visit - you get withdrawn.

Wow this is appalling.

Poor dental hygiene is linked to heart disease. I remember reading an article about people who couldn’t afford dental care in the USA and in some cases dying because they had an infection that wasn’t treated in time.

@whatsinanameeh i hear you. My dc needs life changing treatment but it’s no longer offered on the Nhs at all. Obviously we will pay and I don’t begrudge that and feel thankful we can, but it does concern me for other dc. We are not talking unnecessary or low level stuff either. She has an unsafe swallow. My dc had the same treatment on the nhs as a baby just a few years ago. It was a quick turnaround back then. So much has changed in a short time.

Dentist here.
Common practice I'm afraid. Not breaking any of the GDC standard of practice. Health boards won't be interested. Dentists are entitled to register whoever they want.
If you want to complain about it to anyone, your local MP might be the best bet.

Dentistry needs proper NHS funding. Covid didn't help. It's not been properly funded for years. Dentists have accepted huge year on year effective wage cuts, costs have doubled ( my own personal practice gas bill has increased tenfold!). It's a pretty scary time. The worst I've known in 30 years of practice. Dentists have no choice now but to subsidise their NHS work with private just to make ends meet.

What a damn shame this is seen as normal.

This is how dental practices run in this country where nhs funding is too poor for dentists to make a living from it.
I think you mean your confidence is undermined in the government!

No GDC won’t have any interest in this, of course they won’t!!

And the title of this thread is plainly misleading. The dental practice want you, and adult, to pay a registration fee and use their services ( to a minimum level). They are not asking for £95 to register your child.

it reminds me of when Prezzo used to have a kids 3 course meal for £1 if with an adult buying a main. It’s like you’ve gone to Prezzo and just asked for the £1 3 course kid’s meal for your kid, but you don’t want to be a paying adult!!!

Ours went private using denplan years ago - kids could be NHS but only if parents set up denplan with monthly direct debit.

I've been forced to go private. In 35 years I have had to have no treatment under the NHS. Now I need £500 worth of work as I have a broken tooth. Cannot afford that so I will have to have it pulled. The dentist can refer me under NHS for that. I am beyond furious.

Quite why people aren't understanding the OP I dont know.

No child's access to dental care should be dependent on the ability to pay!
All children must have access to NHS dentistry.
Making that access dependent on their parent paying or signing up for one of their wretched dental plans is shitty practice.

Write to your MP OP. We have to keep the pressure up.
We can't expect the dental profession to do the right thing. Most of them are rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of fully privatised dentistry.
To the NHS dentists still operating in this country you have my utmost respect.

Anyone saying we just have to 'suck it up' or 'not everything can be free' - just watch. Your GP will be next.