Teeth problem and no dentist

LondonDiva

the majority of London.

PCTs will only sort out problems with individual dentists not complying if they are aware of it.

Practices are suppossed to have waiting lists, if they are spreading out their UDAs or running low. It's part of the new contract good practice and can be part of practice visits.:)

mioliere

How many people not connected with the dental profession will know that their local PCT is supposed to 'sort out problems with individual dentists not complying if they are aware of it'? You would need to be aware of that to be able to approach the PCT in the first place! My employer was told not to have a waiting list and the main reason for that is that the Government do not want the embarrassment of long queues outside any dentist who advertises that he is taking patients on but where is the consideration for anyone with dental problems and nowhere to turn to for help? I only left the profession very recently because the contract had had such a detrimental effect on the surgery in which I worked and on the staff. My employer had stopped taking on completely by August - only four months after the start of the all-singing all-dancing contract which was supposed to have increased access to NHS dentists and, in fact, on the days I was not nursing but on reception, I would register people even though we had been told we were unable to take on any more. I would always do this in the case of children in pain. How could anyone stand by and watch a child suffer toothache? Most of the other local dentists have closed their lists - any that said they were taking on would restrict their list by postcode. How on earth is that supposed to help someone like Millymoomoo? How long ago did Tony Blair promise 'everyone would have access to an NHS dentist within two years'? Due to his Government's policies that will never happen and many people are being left to suffer. If Millymoomoo can find a way to avoid more pain by seeing a dentist at the first sign of trouble instead of waiting until it gets worse, she will save the NHS time and money.

LondonDiva

Most people know about the 'health authority' which is inevitably the PCT.

Waiting list is not queues outside the dentist. If practices are not taking on when they've agreed to a contract, restricting by postcode isthey are breeching it. Itr would be better if more dentists refused to sign the contract, than signed it and operated it with dodges and slight of hand and in a half @rsed manner which helps no one.

mioliere

Believe you me, practically all the NHS dentists in my locality and, incidentally, in Wiltshire where I have been trying to find a dentist for someone who lives there, are breaching the contract. My employer was one of the dentists who signed his contract 'in dispute' which, apparently, at the time of signing, meant the PCT would come back to him having resolved the things he was disputing. This hasn't happened; he, like so many others, has closed his 'list' (after just FOUR months!) and, obviously, anyone in pain or even worried about a dental problem, will just have to put up with it as far as I can see.

A waiting list IS a queue outside the dentist if there is a waiting list to get on the waiting list! A lot of dentists here will open their lists for 'one day only' so there is a local panic, as soon as word gets round, to get on the list and - there you have it - a queue! I've seen it with my own eyes. Incidentally, about seven/eight months ago, our local Emergency Dental Helpline told us that they included in their list of emergencies, a crown that had come off, whether or not there was any pain. That did not used to warrant an emergency appointment and I wouldn't consider it an emergency now. Millymoomoo has a genuine dental problem (well, with any luck, she might have had it treated by now) which, if left, will result in pain. I would rather see her treated than someone who has just lost a crown!

Toothsmith

mioliere wrote: »

I only left the profession very recently because the contract had had such a detrimental effect on the surgery in which I worked and on the staff. My employer had stopped taking on completely by August - only four months after the start of the all-singing all-dancing contract which was supposed to have increased access to NHS dentists and, in fact, on the days I was not nursing but on reception, I would register people even though we had been told we were unable to take on any more. I would always do this in the case of children in pain. How could anyone stand by and watch a child suffer toothache?

You cannot solve all the problems of the world by yourself.

You cannot committ your boss to solve them either.

If you were a memeber of my staff and did this, I would have to show you the door.

Would you give away food if you worked at Tesco?

Your boss was not responsible for feeding the kids a diet that rotted their teeth. You should not committ him to putting it right when the powers that be aren't prepared to pay the costs of putting it right.

Did you and the other staff work for free whenever you saw all your 'extras' and did you all have a whip round to pay for the materials used?

As a dentist who didn't sign the contract, it is my position as well that if more hadn't signed it then the Government would have been forced into coming up with something more workable.

Your boss obviously felt that he had to sign it, and then had to find a way of working it so he didn't go bust.

Maybe you would have preferred it had he not signed it and you'd had to charge everybody (including children) for the full cost of the treatment they had?

Toothsmith

LondonDiva wrote: »

It would be better if more dentists refused to sign the contract, than signed it and operated it with dodges and slight of hand and in a half @rsed manner which helps no one.

Amen to that!

mioliere

That still does not solve the problem for people who need a dentist and can't get one when our Prime Minister promised that 'everyone would have access to an NHS dentist within two years'. What happened to that? Besides taking very desperate people on, I also had to turn many away and I hated that with all my heart. Believe you me, I have worked many many hours for nothing in the practice. NHS dentists are not exactly forthcoming about paying overtime and I was too conscientious to leave dead on 6.00 p.m when someone was still in the chair! As far as I am concerned, my employer should have been taking on patients consistently as per the contract he signed - it is not my fault that he agreed to take on then decided not to. Remember the mantra 'everyone will have access to an NHS dentist within two years'. And, for what it's worth, I left the practice because I could not reconcile how it was being run with how many people desperately needed a dentist and were being turned away. It is not fair and I could not stay and watch it happen. He tried very hard to keep me on but my conscience would not let me. He knew exactly why I was leaving. I think people should come first - after all, we all pay for these services that we currently struggle to get. As I keep having to point out, Millymoomoo would still end up having to use the NHS to put the matter right - far better to do it when the problem has just started than to wait and use even more NHS resources when it becomes worse.

ASG_2

Sorry to hijack, but how do I find a private dentist as there doesn't seem to be an NHS dentist available in my area?

mioliere

Phone NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or, alternatively, you should be able to find private dentists listed in Yellow Pages. You could also look on your PCT (the local health authority) website and I have just looked on ask.com and you can search https://www.bda-findadentist.org.uk - you just type in your post code and a local list will come up. Good luck!

Toothsmith

ASG wrote: »

Sorry to hijack, but how do I find a private dentist as there doesn't seem to be an NHS dentist available in my area?

The very best way to find a good private dentist is to go by recommendation.

Ask friends/family/workmates who they go to and why they go there (If the answer is "because it's cheap" then it may be worth asking someone else, unless this is number one priority for you).

If there really is no-one you can ask, or if you get a choice of a few, then visiting a few practices might not be a bad idea.

Either with you list of recommendations, or with a list of fairly close places from the Yellow Pages, ring round and get basic information.

Are they taking on patients?
What are the practice hours?
How much is the initial appointment? And does that include any X-Rays?
What payment methods are available?
Can they send you a practice leaflet with a price guide/list?
Would they mind if you called in for a look round?

This last question can give a big indication of the level of service available at the practice.

If the answer is a very cheery "That's no problem at all - I'll show you round whenever you like" then it's likely to be a very good practice with good customer service.

I would always recommend visiting a practice before committing yourself to an appointment.

Some places can have very nice glossy adverts, but when you get there, you find a scruffy run down waiting room with a battered copy of 'Punch' from 1952! Yet the fees are right up to date!

This is because it is the advertising budget that your fees are paying.

Far better to go for the little one line entry in the phone book that spends it's fees on patient care.

Although sometimes, the little one line entries are the practices that can't be @rsed to do anything!!

A visit before committing your teeth is very important!

With a bit of work beforehand, I'm sure you'll find an excellent dentist, with fees that will suit you and a level of care that will keep your teeth in good order for years to come!

Good luck!