NHS Dentists - RIP?

rwgibson98 · 11 January 2006 at 9:14PM

Got home from work today to find a letter from my NHS dentist, stating that she's terminating my NHS contract and suggesting I register with her preferred private scheme ASAFP(*). Her complaint is that the proposed NHS framework from 1st April 2006 would prevent her from offering me the level of care that I deserved.

As might be predicted when faced with a bill for nearly £300pa (£12/month, plus registration fee, for myself and wife), I'm not too chuffed. Reading the small print of the "offer", this figure only covers the checkup (once every 9 months?); any other work would be chargeable.

Doing some research into this, including the posts in this forum, led me to this story:-
One in 10 NHS dentists 'to quit'

So my questions are:-
Is this a problem faced by other Money Savers?
What solutions have been deployed?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
ROB

(* ASAFP = as soon as possible)

Rikki · 11 January 2006 at 9:21PM

My dentist has gone private too from April 2005.
I pay £10 monthly and get two check ups and two scale and polishes every 12 months inclusive and 20% off the cost of private treatment.
If I didn't have this it would be £25 for a check up and full price for all other treatment.

rwgibson98 · 11 January 2006 at 9:31PM

Is your £10/month paid direct to the dentist, or to a company?

I can't help feeling that a large proportion of the monthly fees is going straight to a company's bottom-line profit, and not to my dentist.

Bossyboots · 11 January 2006 at 9:31PM

If you do a search for posts by forum member Toothsmith, who is a dentist, you will find a good explanation of the new system and also the stories of other members caught in the same position.

Rikki · 11 January 2006 at 9:32PM

It's dental Plan or something. You've got me there, I will have to check.

hjb123 · 11 January 2006 at 9:40PM

My dentist was NHS until a few years ago when they went private and I am now with the same dentist privately with 'denplan' paying £16.62 per month.

I feel this is alot of money - especially when I have been ill for the past 14 months!

rwgibson98 · 11 January 2006 at 9:46PM

Appreciate that this story might be old news to many regulars on this board.

I found these threads useful:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=23180&page=2&pp=10

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=116679

and this:
http://www.nhs.uk/england/dentists/nearestSearch.aspx
which confirms that there are NO NHS dentists in my area.

Dental "insurance" here we come :eek:

Toothsmith · 11 January 2006 at 9:47PM

With most dental plans, it's the dentist that gets most of the money.

In my own case, Denplan take about £1.90 per month per patient to administer the plan and provide the insurance component (insures against dental injuries, or emergencies whilst abroad, as well as one or two other bits of cover). They also provide a good practice support service, helping us leep abreast of the ever changing H&S regs, employment law, guidelines etc.

It's also the dentist that is responsible for the fee levels, and the annual increases. The companies often make recommendations for fee increases, but they do recommend we go through the expenses with our accountants before blindly accepting their guess.

Denplan is the market leader here, and from the dentists point of view is one of the most expensive to be part of.

many of the other companies sell themselves to dentists by being cheaper (I.E the dentist doesn't have to pay as much for administration. That's fine if the lower admin cost is passed on down to the patient!

Personally, I think the level of service I and my patients get from Denplan is worth the extra 70 odd p per month.

As for the reasons behind all this, I've been like private Frazier in 'Dad's Army' for months now, telling everybody 'it's dooooomed'!

I think my best explaination is HERE

The whole thread that contained it was a very good discussion though, I thought.

greenoak · 11 January 2006 at 9:48PM

Interesting thread.

Last year I HAD to go to the dentist for the first time in years as my teeth were in poor condition. I had a lot of work. At the end of all the work the receptionist says you now qualify for denplan but it would cost me £18pm which covered 2 checkups and a hygienist appt. I said no thanks.

6 months later, ( Today ) I had my first checkup, and guess what, clean bill, nothing to do except a scale and polish. Total cost £45.

I saved over £60. No need for a hygienist as dentist did that bit.

Just glad i was not in denplan, typical insurance only cover you when there is nothing to do. Just the same as pet insurance.

comping_cat · 11 January 2006 at 9:53PM

My dentist went from NHS to private, and said they would only treat my children if i stayed with them. Luckily they dont charge monthly, but i do have to pay £10 for a check up every 6 months, plus anything else that needs doing (just paid £22 for an xray, and £25 for the hygenist) My biggest gripe as i feel this is cheaper than a lot of people have to pay, is that i actually qualify for free treatment on the NHS, as im a single mum in a low paid job, but i am unable to get any free treatment as there are no NHS dentists in my area (i already have to go miles for the one we are with now) I wouldnt bother going to the dentist at all if it was just me, but they have me 'over a barrel' as i want my children to have healthy teeth!!!

caveat_emptor · 11 January 2006 at 9:56PM

rwgibson98 wrote:

Got home from work today to find a letter from my NHS dentist, stating that she's terminating my NHS contract and suggesting I register with her preferred private scheme ASAFP(*). Her complaint is that the proposed NHS framework from 1st April 2006 would prevent her from offering me the level of care that I deserved........
ROB
(* ASAFP = as soon as possible)

This happened to me about 10 years ago and for the same reason. I had no alternative but to go private. I have 6 monthly checkups by dentist and cleaning by hygienist at cost of £50/visit with dental treatment at additional cost.
Total time for appoints is 15 minutes/visit so rate is about £200/hour. Not surprising dentists are leaving the NHS.

NHS Dentists - RIP?

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