NHS Dentistry Petition

kenshaz

Dentists have been reverting to private for years ,long before this new contract.We are short of NHS dentists because they see private dentists(who are also are NHS trained) with high earnings and they want to jump on the band wagon , the state trains them and they leave for more lucrative pastures.

Why should the government be held to ransom by the disloyal ex-NHS who have gone private ,and have created the shortage for those with the greatest need.

Practice on the masses and then treat the better off,hardly the original concept of the NHS .

I believe that dentists should pay back the government for their training dependent upon their future earnings --similar to the system in university education.

I admire the dentists who have remained within the NHS,it is the greedy ones that have created this mess.

I feel that we should not lose sight of the reason why the government brought in these measures.

The government has also increased its training ratio,to combat the hemorrhage to the private sector.

Why not write to your MP and recommend that dentists repay the government for their training if they leave the NHS.The revenue could then be utilised in the future training regime. If we all inform the politicians of our needs and wishes,we might be able to reverse the trend and then we can go back to state resourced treatment from cradle to grave for all.

elsien

My brother was an NHS dentist for over 20 years before becoming disillusioned with the system, rules and regulations.
Going private for him was nothing to do with jumping on the bandwagon or more lucrative pastures, or he would have done it years ago.
It took a lot of heartsearching on his part, and you are being very unfair to some very hardworking people for whom greed is most definitely not the bottom line.

Toothsmith

kenshaz wrote:

I feel that we should not lose sight of the reason why the government brought in these measures.

From your vast experience and knowledge of the subject, could you kindly explain how these measures are going to increase the number of NHS dentists?

Do you even know any detail of 'these measures'?

How can a dentist getting the same credit for doing one filling as for doing a whole mouth rebuild with multiple fillings and root fillings possibly make any dentist want to do any NHS work other than the simplest treatment they can get away with?

The reason 'these measures' were brought in was to kill off NHS dentistry once and for all. The Department of Health was astounded that despite everything, there were still dentists trying to work within the NHS!

As for all the guff about repaying training costs, for one thing it is NOT the NHS that pays. It is Education.

There is no compulsion on anybody to work for the state to repay their education costs, as once educated, people get a job and pay TAXES. This is what pays for education.

A dentist is far more likely to repay their education costs that some Meeja Studies student who ends up working in MacDonalds.

If it were true that a private dentist earns more than an NHS one (And it isn't - Inland Revenue figures prove this which is why even politicians don't use that excuse anymore) then private dentists would be paying off their training costs even quicker, as well as funding the training of even more dentists.

I am tempted to say "Get your head out of the 'Daily Mail' and have a look at what's really happening" but that wouldn't be right, as even the newspapers now realise where the problem is.

So - Kenshaz, stop letting the Government get away with running down what up until 20 years ago was a half decent service, and do something positive about it.

Write to MPs, yes, sign this petition.

Yesterday it was Chiropody and Opticians, today it is dentistry, phisiotherapy, speech therapy etc, tomorow it will be GP doctors. We're already being primed for that one with all the reports of how much they now 'earn'.

Teerah

Toothsmith wrote:

I didn't set up the dentistry one, but if you go to the Petitions website, it is fairly straightforward to set one up.

There are some wierd and whacky ones as well.

I like THIS one too!

Slightly worrying and very sad that this has got more signatures though!

Toothsmith

It was featured on Radio 5 Live this morning! They did an article on the 10 Downing Street Petition site.

When I posted the link this morning, it only had a couple of hundred!

The power of advertising!

Teerah

Aahhhhhhhhhhhh, that explains it :rotfl:

kenshaz

Toothsmith wrote:

From your vast experience and knowledge of the subject, could you kindly explain how these measures are going to increase the number of NHS dentists?

Do you even know any detail of 'these measures'?

How can a dentist getting the same credit for doing one filling as for doing a whole mouth rebuild with multiple fillings and root fillings possibly make any dentist want to do any NHS work other than the simplest treatment they can get away with?

The reason 'these measures' were brought in was to kill off NHS dentistry once and for all. The Department of Health was astounded that despite everything, there were still dentists trying to work within the NHS!

As for all the guff about repaying training costs, for one thing it is NOT the NHS that pays. It is Education.

There is no compulsion on anybody to work for the state to repay their education costs, as once educated, people get a job and pay TAXES. This is what pays for education.

A dentist is far more likely to repay their education costs that some Meeja Studies student who ends up working in MacDonalds.

If it were true that a private dentist earns more than an NHS one (And it isn't - Inland Revenue figures prove this which is why even politicians don't use that excuse anymore) then private dentists would be paying off their training costs even quicker, as well as funding the training of even more dentists.

I am tempted to say "Get your head out of the 'Daily Mail' and have a look at what's really happening" but that wouldn't be right, as even the newspapers now realise where the problem is.

So - Kenshaz, stop letting the Government get away with running down what up until 20 years ago was a half decent service, and do something positive about it.

Write to MPs, yes, sign this petition.

Yesterday it was Chiropody and Opticians, today it is dentistry, phisiotherapy, speech therapy etc, tomorow it will be GP doctors. We're already being primed for that one with all the reports of how much they now 'earn'.

Well you would not be biased by any chance.

Toothsmith

Of course I'm bloody biased!

It's my job, and all I've been doing for the past 20 years!

I'm not asking you to take my word for it, I'm just asking you to open your eyes.

Incidentally, I've just noticed this bit

kenshaz wrote:

I believe that dentists should pay back the government for their training dependent upon their future earnings --similar to the system in university education.

How do you think dentists ARE educated? It is a university degree course just like all the others - it just goes on for longer than most and is harder than most with MUCH shorter holidays than all of them.

kenshaz

Toothsmith wrote:

Of course I'm bloody biased!

It's my job, and all I've been doing for the past 20 years!

I'm not asking you to take my word for it, I'm just asking you to open your eyes.

Incidentally, I've just noticed this bit



How do you think dentists ARE educated? It is a university degree course just like all the others - it just goes on for longer than most and is harder than most with MUCH shorter holidays than all of them.

They are trained for the benefit of the NHS not the private sector and therefore legislation should be brought into play to prevent them practicing without giving adequate recompense for the skills they received via the tax payer ,I urge readers not to support the petition.By your own admission you have stated that rewards are higher in private dentistry,resulting in a shortage of those who put moral obligation above monetary gain.
Higher education does not come cheap,long degree courses and further training is all supported by the tax payer ,we are not getting value for money.

kenshaz

Why can't posters get an NHS dentist?
Because they have all gone private and please do not believe that adding your name to a petition will change that situation.
Why are the dentists leading the fight against this contract ?
I find it difficult to believe that they are defending the consumer,why?
If they really cared they would open the doors to those who really need care ,not increase cosmetic procedures.