Dentists - can they swap NHS to private without notice??

blue_monkey_2

Hi all,

I posted this is another board as well but not sure it's in the right place so I'll ask here as well. I have a question regarding the new NHS charges in place.

I was chatting to mum today and she was talking about going to the dentist as she has asked the dentist to fill her tooth the week before last week but the dentist told her it was 'wear and tear' and fine. However mum is still getting problems so she has to go for a filling on Tuesday.

She went to the dentist beginning of May and was given a check up, scale and clean and x-ray, she was charged £15.50 and she signed the NHS form. At the time if her doing this they booked her an appointment for a filling (a different one to that mentioned above) at the same time. When she went back for the filling she then mentioned that this other filling probably needed doing as it was painful but they told her it was wear and tear and not to worry. Result is that mum is due back in on Tuesday for the filling to be done!!

However, she told me today about what they charged her. They mumbled something about not having anymore NHS funding to her and charged her a further £60 for the filling she had last time when she went.

Now, I am looking on the NHS website and it quite clearly states these charges:

£15.50 This charges includes an examination, diagnosis and preventative care. If necessary this will include X-rays, scale and polish and planning for further treatment.

OR

£45.50 - this charge includes all nesessary treatment covered by £15.50 charge PLUS additional treatment such as fillings, root canal treatment or extrations.
Further down it says 'if you need more treatment at the same level (eg an additional filling) within 2 months of seeing your dentist then this will be free of charge.

This is my question - please bear with me, I hope it makes sense: When mum booked in and had the clean and they then booked her in for further treatment (the filling) she would then have been charged £45.50 for the whole treatment had it not gone beyond 2 months because this treatment was neccessary at the time and surely she should have been charged £45.50.

From what mum is telling me they have booked her in to have the initial NHS treatment yet it SEEMS they are now charging her private denistry fees midway through for the filling. The way I see it, if she had started the course of treatment on NHS charges they cannot just change this midway through without any notice. IS this incorrect? Their can surely be no other justification for charging her, so far, £75 for a filling and check up. However, she was not seen in the Private sector of the practice, but in the NHS section. You can tell the difference, they sent me there by mistake last time, in the NHS bit you are lucky to get a chair to sit on.

Personally I am livid that they can do this - more so as mum only earns £100 a week as it is. I am going to call them on Tuesday morning but wanted to know if I was right in thinking this before I did. I am concerned mum is going to have to pay another £60 for a filling when she initially started the treatment on NHS and has not been told anything otherwise to her being chaged to a private patient. She has been with the practice for donkeys years. I am wondering if anyone can shed some light as to whether they can do this for me. what makes me more angry is people are paying these charges without question and I wonder who else they have done this to.

Thanks for any advice you can give me on this matter it would be most appreciated.

Mrs_Optimist

I have just had the same thing happen to me. I was paying through denplan for myself - 15.00 per month but my dentist was seeing my 2 kids on NHS. The Practice Manager called me last month (who happens to be an old friend) to say that my dentist could no longer see the kids on NHS and I had to either pay per visit or pay 8.00 per month for each of my kids. She explained it is all down to the new contracts, basically my dentist was told that he was not permitted to treat my 2 kids on NHS anymore so he had no choice. It is clear to me that the Government does not want to put any money into the NHS Dental Service any more and so everyone is being forced to take out private dental care or go without. In my circumstance I have signed both my kids onto private treatment and pay the money every month. I had signed them onto NHS form in january so they were only a couple of months into the 12 month contract with the NHS but the Goverment put a stop to this, not the dentist (at least in my case). My dentist felt very bad about not being able to see the kids any more on NHS but I don't blame him for not wanting to work for nothing. And he is an excellent dentist so I want the kids to keep seeing him. Blame the Government.

lovemystudentloan

When our old dentist went private they wrote and told us, and gave us the option of staying with them or finding someone else. i was under the impression they had to inform us by law. I am certain they cannot do work and tell you afterward that you have to pay more tham expected, as this amounts to fraud. Sorry I'm so vague, as your Mum earns so little ask the dentist for a receipt for this dental work (if they refuse there's definitely something dodgy going on) and have your Mum fill out an HC1 form. She should be able to obtain this from any dentist and as her income is so low the govt will refund her money and possibly give her an NHS exemption card, exempting her paying for NHS dental care and prescriptions and entitling her to free eye care too. I recently had a filling and only had to pay the remainder, which was £31.70 as I'd paid £15.50 already. Get your Mum to change dentists.

blue_monkey_2

Hi,

Well, I thought I would report back and tell you what happened when I spoke to the denist this morning.

They told me that when mum went for the filling (early May) they had run out of NHS funding and had no NHS funding available now until July. So yes, she was charged a Private Fee. I was told that this was not explained to my mum when she made the appointment and she assumed she was having it done on NHS. I argued that if they had started the treatment on NHS then they should have continued it this way - she laughed and said, yes it is confusing isn't it. I told them that mum earns £80 a week and could not afford to pay £60 on a filling so the receptionist said she would look into it. I will get her to get a receipt for it though and try to claim - thanks for that advice.

However, despite them having no NHS funding until July she has an appointment today - booked last week - which is on the NHS for another check up.

Now, tell me if I am wrong but it seems to me they are booking check ups on the NHS and charging for other treatment on Private. I have called the local Primary Healthcare Trust and am waiting for them to call me back as this stinks!! I wanted to get their advice on this as well.

I'll keep you posted on the situation.

<edited> Forum Team 2

Toothsmith

This does sound very peculiar to me.

If a dentist is doing NHS check-ups, then he has NHS funding.

If your Mum needed one or more fillings, then the charge would be £42.50 (Including the check-up).

If they have no funding, then they wouldn't be able to do the check-up on the NHS.

The PCT is your best avenue here. Stick with it.