Fury as patients given ‘ultimatum’ before signing up for NHS dentist | UK | News
Residents in a UK city say they have been given a financial “ultimatum” before being allowed to register with an NHS dentist in what is being called a “worrying” turn of events. Potential patients in Bristol said they were told they would have to pay £69 for a hygienist appointment or they would be turned away from Lodge Causeway Dental Center in September. Alice Worthington, who lives in the south of the city, said: BBC He ultimately paid the fee even though he “never needed the hygienist appointment” as it was “impossible” to find an NHS dentist elsewhere.
The practice said making an appointment was optional, not mandatory, and apologized to patients for the confusion. Ms Worthington said: “We went into reception and were told we would have to pay £70 for a hygienist if we wanted to register as an NHS patient.”
“I actually didn’t need a hygienist appointment at all,” she added. “I went to private practice recently, but we were told we wouldn’t register with the NHS until we paid £70.
He said he felt sorry for others who queued outside the center at a public day on September 6, waiting for hours without being warned about the fee, with one woman saying she was “very upset”.
Sam Mellor, of Bedminster, who waited in line for four hours only to be told by a receptionist that she needed to make a hygienist appointment before registering, described it as an “ultimatum”.
A contract between the NHS and dentists requires providers to accept patients regardless of whether they choose to pay for additional specialist services.
Eddie Crouch, president of the British Dental Association (BDA), described the reports as “worrying”.
“If they’re being told they have to make an appointment with a private hygienist before they can get NHS dental treatment, I don’t think that’s right,” he said.
“Sadly we know there are currently 14 million people who want access to an NHS dentist, but these 14 million people need to be supported by the government and not exploited by any poor practice within our members.”
Lodge Causeway Dental Center said 95 per cent of the patients it had seen since September needed urgent care, but others were “offered” a hygienist appointment along with a dental check-up. He said his system automatically takes payments in advance for such appointments, but acknowledged that some people found this “inappropriate” and for which he “apologizes unreservedly”.
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said NHS dentists can offer patients a choice about whether to book a hygienist appointment but “they should not have to pay for the appointment at the time of booking”.
