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NHS Dentistry Patient Information
Toothsmith
Posts: 10,103 Forumite
I know there are lots of dentist threads I could have added this to, but I thought this deserved a thread on it's own.
THIS is the governments new patient information leaflet for the new NHS dentistry regulations starting in April.
I would be interested in your comments.
Yesterday, there was a meeting between the dentist's 'negotiating' team, and Rosie Winterton, the minister with responsibility for dentistry. (I put negotiating in marks, as there has been no negotiation with dentists over this contract at all. It's 'Take it or leave it'.)
The meeting was to urge her to abandon this new contract whilst there was still a few dentists doing NHS work. A pretty good report can be seenHERE
EDIT :- This leaflet was updated on March 22nd 2006. Updated version is HERE
THIS is the governments new patient information leaflet for the new NHS dentistry regulations starting in April.
I would be interested in your comments.
Yesterday, there was a meeting between the dentist's 'negotiating' team, and Rosie Winterton, the minister with responsibility for dentistry. (I put negotiating in marks, as there has been no negotiation with dentists over this contract at all. It's 'Take it or leave it'.)
The meeting was to urge her to abandon this new contract whilst there was still a few dentists doing NHS work. A pretty good report can be seenHERE
EDIT :- This leaflet was updated on March 22nd 2006. Updated version is HERE
How to find a dentist.
1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.
1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.
0
Comments
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Hi there,
Here are my uneducated, middle of the night comments:
Is it me or are these new charges a bit cheap? A fraction of the charges I have been paying my private dentist. Which means no money for the dentist and they will all follow you out of the system. My favourite bits are:
You will pay one charge even if you need to visit more than once to complete a course of treatment.If you need more treatment at the same charge level (eg an additional filling) within two months of seeing your dentist,this will be free of charge.
So someone could have ten root canals for 42.40? Or the whole mouth crowned for £189? Interesting...Also the bit about better access? Sounds to me like there will be a lot of money with nowhere to go. Maybe they will spend it quickly, efficiently, but maybe they will sit on it and negotiate where best to spend... If your practice closes it doesn't say you'll have access, it says don't worry, the money is not in NHS hands anymore. Which means what to my toothache?If these changes mean that (on average) patients need to attendless frequently than before, this will free up time for dentists to see more patients.
Oh-oh. I hope that works out well. I suppose that's one way to free up dentists for more patients - I don't feel comfortable with this though. Two years is an awfully long time to rely on good brushing - I know very well what happens to little ignored cavities...
I can't help feeling I am better off with my private dentist, who will not be rushing off anywhere. I'll carry on saving the cash to pay for my next visit...
Good night!:wall:0 -
Toothsmith, you are a star.:j
Thank you for starting this thread and providing the link to 'What you need to know about changes to NHS dentistry in England'.
I've had a quick read through it and I'm very surprised at the following statement:
From 1 April 2006, your dentist will NOT charge you for missed appointments - but if you continue to miss appointments they may decide not to offer you treatment.
I can imagine that NHS dentists will be delighted by this.:rolleyes:10 Dec 2007 - Led Zeppelin - I was there. :j [/COLOR]:cool2: I wear my 50 (gold/red/white) blood donations pin badge with pride. [/SIZE][/COLOR]Give blood, save a life. [/B]0 -
It does mean that a mouthful of crowns will 'only' cost £189 - if you can find a dentist to do it! because the dentist will get no more credit for doing 10 crowns as one. Yet the technicians fee for doing 10 crowns will still have to be paid.
I bet it will be far more likely that the 10 crowns will be done over a few years, costing the patient £189 EACH!
(Note, the dentist doesn't get to keep the £189 - that goes back to the Government. The dentist gets 12 points towards his 'target' though. If he doesn't reach his target, next year's funding is cut.
He would get 12 points for each crown if done seperately, or 12 for the treatment, if he did 10 crowns in one treatment plan! Which would you do??)
So - loadsacrowns would cost £189, but more likely for most people, a single crown, which today costs about £60 on the NHS would more than triple in price.
The same is true for fillings. If you need loads, £42.50. If you need one £42.50.
At the moment, a single filling on the NHS is about £15.
The funniest thing I think though is for dentures. If you need a new set because they're loose or worn out, £189. If you've 'lost' your dentures though, it will only cost £56!
How many people are going to turn up at their dentist without teeth and say they've 'lost' them I wonder!!! Will someone from the Department of Health turn up at their house to 'help them look for them? :rolleyes:How to find a dentist.
1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.0 -
Nile wrote:Toothsmith, you are a star.:j
Thank you for starting this thread and providing the link to 'What you need to know about changes to NHS dentistry in England'.
I've had a quick read through it and I'm very surprised at the following statement:
From 1 April 2006, your dentist will NOT charge you for missed appointments - but if you continue to miss appointments they may decide not to offer you treatment.
I can imagine that NHS dentists will be delighted by this.:rolleyes:
I know! With the rest of the NHS plagued by missed appointments, they are stopping the one thing in the one part of the whole system that actually works to control it!!!
Shows the sort of Numptys we are up against! It would be funny if it were not for the fact these people actually have the power over who lives and dies in this country!How to find a dentist.
1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.0 -
We were told at our dentist on Tuesday that nobody would actually be registered with a NHS Dentist but you would be free to visit any, provided you could get an appointment. If you phone up with a severe toothache, unless it was an absolute emergency, you would have to go on a waiting list to get an appointment and that could take weeks. Is this the true case, or just a receptionist that was getting into a bit of a state?0
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You are right about registration ending (strange the don't mention that in the glossy govenment information pamphlet!). They have been far to embarrased by how few people are registered with an NHS dentist, so are stopping registration on march 31st. No-one will be registered!
The implications of this have yet to be seen. The idea is it will 'improve access' by making everyone equal, and you will have just as much chance of seeing your dentist as the person who never goes unless they have a toothache.
First come first served.
Brilliant eh?How to find a dentist.
1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.0 -
It is clear to me that the Government Minister trusts dentists about as far as they can spit. Where did the animosity begin ? How can it be ended ?
I offer a few wikipedea links to the terms used by Toothsmith regarding 'root canal' and 'dental crown'. The former preceeds the latter in many cases.
I would like to point out that I have total respect for Toothsmith.
J_B.0 -
Joe_Bloggs wrote:It is clear to me that the Government Minister trusts dentists about as far as they can spit. Where did the animosity begin ? How can it be ended ?
J_B.
Thank you JB!
You are right, and the dental profession probably trusts the DoH even less!
The sad thing is that the pilot arrangements for this new contract could probably have worked very well with a few tweaks and a fair bit more funding. (It needs more funding if all the dentists who have gone private are going to come back into the system with all their patients).
These are the pilots that the Minister is refering to when she says the new arrangements have been sucessfully piloted!
The problem is that this new contract uses Units of Dental Activity to measure how dentists are performing, and set targets. The pilot arrangements used 'courses of treatment'
Whats the difference?
A 'course of treatment' could be a good talk with a patient about brushing, or a filling, or a clean up. It was a 'bum on a seat'.
A Unit of Dental Activity is awarded for actual treatment, and very badly biased towards the very simplest, minimal, treatment. There is no credit at all for prevention. so when MPs proclaim how the new contract will help 'prevention' they are either badly informed, or blatently lying.
I must admit a wry smile crosses my face every time I read the phrase "I'm lucky, I have an NHS dentist" on these pages.
Come April, I don't think that phrase will appear quite so often!How to find a dentist.
1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.0 -
Toothsmith wrote:You are right about registration ending (strange the don't mention that in the glossy govenment information pamphlet!). They have been far to embarrased by how few people are registered with an NHS dentist, so are stopping registration on march 31st. No-one will be registered!
The implications of this have yet to be seen. The idea is it will 'improve access' by making everyone equal, and you will have just as much chance of seeing your dentist as the person who never goes unless they have a toothache.
First come first served.
Brilliant eh?
So does this mean, that if you do not have an NHS dentist at the moment, as all the NHS dentists in your area have stopped taking new patients, that they now have no list, and will see all NHS patients, providing they can get an appointment??? This would be good for me, as there are no NHS dentists in my area taking new people on (if you can get an appointment!!!), but how can that be worked with regards to patients records!!!???0 -
catowen wrote:So does this mean, that if you do not have an NHS dentist at the moment, as all the NHS dentists in your area have stopped taking new patients, that they now have no list, and will see all NHS patients, providing they can get an appointment??? This would be good for me, as there are no NHS dentists in my area taking new people on (if you can get an appointment!!!), but how can that be worked with regards to patients records!!!???
Yep!
Dental records don't follow people like medical ones. You start again with each new dentist.
There will be a huge free for all right up until the system collapses! Taking with it all those who have a 'regular' NHS dentist.
Enjoy!How to find a dentist.
1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.0
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