Can a NHS dentist just remove me from their list!?

JasonBat

Toothsmith wrote: »

What difference did the change in contrast make?

Basically, yes - so long as it's obviously not racial, sexual, or any other 'recognised' form of discrimination, the dentist can see who they like, and not see who they don't like.

There strikes me as something more in this 'foreign body' 'NHS Complaint' and 'Contrast querie' that is just flagging you up to this dentist as someone better off avoided.

I must admit - the alarm bell in my head is clanging a bit as well!

Why do I get the sense you are sticking with your own men here whilst immediately making assumptions?

Alarm bells would certainly be going off in the head of any reasonably minded patient when both the consultant and dentist concede to there being an abnormality then dramatically backtrack when complaints are raised.

With regards to your question regarding the contrast, let me put it to you the other way round, if it made no difference then why make such a dramatic adjustment to it?

Further, it is unreasonable of me to request an exact same copy to take to another consultant for an opinion. Sorry - how dare I.

If you treat your patients in the same manner with your oversensitive 'wacko filter' then good luck to you as you seem to suggest every dentist on the planet is infallible. I'm certainly glad I'm not one of your patients!

JasonBat

brook2jack wrote: »

A break down in the patient dentist relationship is sufficient reason for the dentist to refuse to see someone , and a dentist has an absolute right to refuse to treat someone on this basis in any of the home countries.

Thanks brook2jack.

I guess that means in a lot of cases that if you raise a complaint or query something they will simply refuse to see you again.

moneyistooshorttomention

brook2jack wrote: »

In England and Wales there is no such thing as registration with a dentist anymore. There is no such thing as having a list any more although many dentists try to keep appointments for regular patients.

Scotland and NI still have registration.

If you are not under a course of treatment the dentist has no obligation to see you at all even if you have been a regular attender in England and Wales.

A break down in the patient dentist relationship is sufficient reason for the dentist to refuse to see someone , and a dentist has an absolute right to refuse to treat someone on this basis in any of the home countries.

I've not heard of that. I just think "Right...that's my doctor, that's my dentist" etc etc.

If that is the case, then what happens about the fact that dentists expect a new patient to pay extra at their first visit, ie whilst they check out their state of dental health. In effect, that boils down to a "registration fee" (even if it isn't called that).

If a dentist had charged you your "registration fee" and done some treatment but then wouldn't make an appointment for you the next time you need it, then surely they would have to hand that "registration fee" back - as you wouldn't have "bought your place on their list" if they decided you weren't "on their list" (for whatever reason they had decided).

Otherwise, even if a patient was of the "shut up and let the dentist do what they want to your body" school of thought, you could pay your "registration fee" to one. They could decide they were too busy or whatever to see you. So you then go and pay another "registration fee" to another dentist to get the next bit of treatment. Then they decide they are too busy or whatever and so on and son on...

The poor patient could land up having to pay a new "registration fee" every time they require treatment, as well as paying for the treatment itself!!!

JasonBat

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

The poor patient could land up having to pay a new "registration fee" every time they require treatment, as well as paying for the treatment itself!!!

Yes, and whatever you do don't query it or complain as you will probably find yourself exiting the list in a manic hurry.

moneyistooshorttomention

Jason,

It sounds as if you have received x-rays for two different people from what you say. It looks as if there has been some inefficiency there, as if two x-rays are taken at the same time of the same person etc then they should look the same I would have thought.

What exactly is the difference? I'm imagining its something like one x-ray shows a person who has x number of fillings in their teeth, whilst the other one shows a person who has y number of fillings in their mouth (ie they must be of two different people if they were taken at the same time).

There must be some overall body dentists have to belong to to regulate their treatment and conduct. I would be googling to see who they are in your position.

The question occurring to me is why one person would have had two x-rays done (ie rather than just one), so I imagine you would need to explain what the reasoning behind that was to that body??

Of course, putting in a complaint to that overall body may mean some other dentists in your locality may "fight shy" (as we have seen above) of taking you on as a patient if they swop notes with each other. Don't know what sort of area you live in? If its a small provincial town, you may have to go to the nearest bigger town over (which is what I did). If its a city (even a small one) then it should be no problem just swopping to another one (courtesy of more dentists available and they will all know patients can "vote with their feet"). Cities tend to have universities and career people following professions in them and that means they are more used to people who have a more questioning mindset/are used to making their own decisions. But a fairish size town should have at least one dentist respectful of a patients right to make their own decisions.

JasonBat

moneyistooshorttomention,

The x-rays were both of me and meant to have been taken at the same time though there is/was a stark difference.

Unfortunately the consultant I saw took the original and later tried to backtrack. So a sensible thing would be to request another copy of the x-ray from your dentist right (who has been kept in the loop)? Seems not the case according to Toothsmith and the dentist in question.

moneyistooshorttomention

I would have thought so.

I presume this consultant was one that the NHS sent you to and paid for?

Personally, I would be finding out re seeing a consultant privately and then, of course, because you have paid directly for it (rather than through your taxes) it would be your right to have a copy of that x-ray for yourself.

When I've had a couple of x-rays (for something very different) taken privately before now, I was just automatically handed my copy. Didn't even have to ask. It was just "Well..its your x-ray...so its your property" attitude.

Come to think of it, the (private) dentist I had back in home area (ie before recent move) just got out my latest x-ray from their files and gave it to me when I told them I was moving out of area and said "Here you are, you'll need that to hand to your next dentist". Next dentist said it was taken too long ago to be of use in the event (about 2 years??) but has obviously been influenced okay by seeing a fairly recent one of me (if not within their guideline period of what constitutes "recent").

EDIT: the snag to that is that you will have to subject your body to having another x-ray taken of it...but it looks as if its the only way to proceed from what I can see.

brook2jack

If it was paper copies of the x ray then those will often look very different re contrast etc as the ink in the printer may be running out etc. paper copies are fine for rough information , for detail consultants normally ask for info to be sent via a disc or e mail.

Moneyistooshorttomention. As discussed before registration fees can only be charged by private dentists and what these charges may cover (eg insurance) has been discussed in another thread. There is registration in private practice but not in NHS. Registration normally defrays the costs of keeping toothache slots etc open for regular patients and a private registered patient has every right to see their dentist.

In the nhs the expectation is that so long as any dentist in the area has capacity that's fine , hence there is no registration and outside of a course of treatment a patient has no right to see a particular dentist.

Confidentiality is taken very seriously and unless a patient is violent or abusive or contact needs to be made with a previous dentist to help a treatment plan , details of patients are not passed between dentists.

Errata

JasonBat wrote: »

I've been registered with them for quite some many years.

I saw a consultant at my local hospital who requested I undergo an x-ray to be taken by my dentist in an area where I have also been experiencing quite some pain in my upper jaw.

My dentist took the x-ray and there appeared to a foreign body present.

I then took this x-ray to a different consultant who initially made a dismissive remark on the foreign body in question then later denied saying anything in this regard. He also took the only copy of the x-ray I had. I raised an NHS complaint and my dentist received copies of correspondence.

I then requested another copy of the x-ray from my dentist who appeared to have adjusted the contrast before printing it out. I then queried this in very polite terms only to get a letter through the post dismissing me from his care.

How many consultants are treating you, and for what?

brook2jack

To make a complaint about nhs dentistry you must first put your complaint in writing to the practice itself. They have to reply to you and give you the details (address and phone number) of who to escalate the complaint to if you are not happy with the response (normally the lat, pct,lhb depending on area) .

To complain about private dentistry again write to the practice and if not happy with the reply http://www.gdc-uk.org/sites/dcs/Pages/default.aspx