Dentist cancelled because of maternity exemption

[Acc0untant]

This isn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things but I feel a bit put out regardless.

My dentist has cancelled my appointment next month and when I queried why the receptionist told me that they aren't seeing any patients who are exempt at the minute. In my case I have a maternity exemption certificate (runs out in March). She said it's because they aren't receiving any NHS funding for it at the minute.

The point of the maternity exemption is that due to pregnancy you can have additional things needing work (pregnant gingivitis etc) and you aren't unfairly penalised by having to visit often. In this case they're saying I can't be seen until I start paying the NHS prices again in April.

Not going to pull the discrimination card (although being told I can't use their services until I no longer have an exemption due to pregnancy certainly feels like it) but would like to hear the thoughts of others on this too!

She’s not pregnant , her exemption runs out in April. Exemption runs for a year after the birth of the baby.
OP wants a check up , which practice can offer after April 1st when new contract year starts.

You should care about this (and not about just one random pregnant woman - sorry,m@Acc0untant ). We should all care about this

This is 100% discrimination. It’s against NHS policies, it is black and white in the handbook.

report to NHS for discrimination and they can deal with the fines.

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/check-if-you-have-nhs-exemption/maternity-exemption-certificates

Report here:

[email protected]

&
https://www.healthwatch.co.uk

&

https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com

This is just bullshit.

It is part and parcel of running a dentistry practice. My in laws run one. I promise you they’re not struggling to make ends meet by taking on a few extra patients.

If the practice does not have any funding left how long do you think it would stay afloat seeing and treating people for free until April 1st?

They are caught between a rock and a hard place trying to negotiate extra funding and see people.

They could have charged full private fees to everyone but are obviously trying to get extra funding.

OP can book a NHS appointment after April 1st when new funding comes in. Presumably as they have been exempt whilst pregnant and for a year after the birth of the baby they have had at least check up in that time.

It’s just for two and a half months they either wait or go elsewhere because of commissioning failures that will not fund dentists even when they are willing to do extra NHS work.

Because of the cataclysm that is dental funding this problem will happen earlier and earlier each financial year.

I think this is your best bet, to be honest. Keep quiet with your actual dentist but raise it as an issue with your MP for them to ignore potentially put forward as a constituent issue.

If everyone that faced this did the same, the government would become more aware of it.

Well OP isn't pregnant...

I'd write to your MP OP, it's not unreasonable for them to see you for a loss as they haven't the funding, but it is ludicrous and unfair that the NHS can't adequately fund this service.

Do you understand about UDAs (units of dental activity) in England and Wales? Do you understand that there is a limit to each contract value?
Do you understand that there is new patient initiative is taken out of existing contract values so UDAs run out earlier in the year?

If you run out you CANNOT take on anyone else , you will not get paid . Nothing. The only funding that comes into a dental practice is what is earned from UDAs there is nothing else.

Read this https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czq5yjl7zn1o

I'd find out when your MP's next surgery is @Acc0untant and address your concerns with them face to face. May be more effective?

My NHS dentist went fully private with no wanr8 g and we can’t get an NHS dentist.
i would be delighted to just pay NHS fees. Instead I have not been for 3 years.

I've never heard of that before. I'm with an NHS dentist and I work full time (single parent) receive UC top up I've never paid for treatment except a £5 missed appointment fee. I get all my stuff done free. I know they aren't taking on new patients currently. I know some pregnancies can cause issues with teeth as well so you'd think they'd want you in to make sure everything's okay. My best friends son was refused NHS funding for braces as the same orthodontist as my daughter. You are scored 1-5 and my daughter was 4.5 and was awarded NHS funding within days by the health board. Her son was a 3.1 and had to be 3.2 they still referred him but NHS point blank refused funding. The orthodontist said he wouldn't have any long term issues just a slight bit of over crowding and she was fuming. So she went private and tbh I think she's wasted her money for it as his teeth are fine. The NHS are stretched in all directions xxx

Unfortunately ICBs and government are well aware. The money saved from dentistry is being used to prop up health service elsewhere . Read this….

KO: How do the financial challenges faced by ICBs affect dentistry?
EC: At the outset of the year, ICBs were informed that they ought to ring fence the dental budget. So, if dentists in a particular area weren’t delivering NHS dentistry at the levels that they want, the ICB could use some of the underspend to recommission services in that area. This was welcomed by the profession – the money wouldn’t be lost to other areas of the health service as it has been done previously.
But in November, NHS England wrote to ICBs and said that the government would not be bailing out overspends and if they had any unspent or unallocated money, they would be expected to use that to prop up the overspends elsewhere. It’s meant that a lot of plans for dentistry have been stopped – if they hadn’t committed the money to the projects, those projects are not going ahead – which is hugely upsetting.
One of the things suggested at the beginning of the year was that ICBs could fund more activities than the dentists had in a contract. They could fund an additional 10% activity and many colleagues believed that was an offer that they were working to.
But now the ICBs have reversed that decision. At least 12 ICBs have written to dentists about this. In some cases, they are doing no dentistry at all for one or two months before the end of the financial year because they’ve run out of funding.

I totally understand your frustration but I'd just rebook for the new date.

I'd imagine they'd pretty much take you off their books,if you complain officially.

Then you'll be without a nhs Dentist.

@Lollygaggle why do all the dentists around here then say that their NHS list is closed but they will fit you in as a private patient ?

That's who I'd write to.

A service that should be covered isn't being covered at your dental surgery. Not the fault of the dentist but they are part of the overall scheme that isn't working as it should be.

I've been waiting for NHS Dental care since 2020. Gave up in the end and went private.

I appreciate the overarching issue is the dentistry funding but cancelling appointments for those exempt for whatever reason isn't great at all. I've already said I won't kick off with the dentist/practice and that maybe my MP is a good shout. If people on an individual level don't complain to those that can make a difference I'm not sure how they expect funding to ever change.

So are they not seeing any children then as they don't pay!?

Because dentists have a fixed amount of treatment they can give in a year. Even if they have staff and space to do more they will not be paid and the only money they get to run the practice comes from treatment .

So they have to parcel out NHS treatment so they don’t run out of funding . Sometimes they run out of funding anyway towards the end of the financial year.

So they may have staff and time but no NHS money so can offer private treatment.

Also NHS funding is so poor most practices subsidise it with private treatment.

That sounds like pregnancy discrimination! I can't believe that they won't allow you to pay NHS fees even though you are an NHS patient just because you have a maternity exemption that they won't let you use. Definitely write to your MP.

Hadn't thought of this. They just said they were cancelling appointments of anyone who didn't pay.

Complain via PALS. That saves you having to confront the dentist direct. You should complain because its discrimination.

Please read the rest of the thread . Practice has run out of funding and cannot afford to treat those who do not pay for treatment until new financial year on April 1st.

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/what-is-pals-patient-advice-and-liaison-service/

But her partner who is also an NHS patient will be seen and will be charged the NHS rate of fees. If OP hasn't been pregnant and had a baby, she would be able to have a check up and pay the NHS rate too. She is getting worse treatment due to pregnancy when the whole point of maternity exemption is for pregnant women to have free access to dental care.