NHS dentist and PPE charges

elsien

Relative has had a letter from their NHS dentist stating that they will need to pay a PPE cost on top of the usual band charges. £5 for a check up and £15 for anything more invasive such as drilling.
Is there any guidance or fixed fees for this or do practices make that decision for themselves?

brook2jack2

Most private practices will have to charge PPE as it's not just the cost of the equipment , it's the amount of time , an hour, a surgery needs to be left fallow afterwards before it can be cleaned and used again. 

One large dental chain is charging its associate dentists £7 for a non aerosol procedure , £48 Per aerosol procedure which is more than they take home for NHS treatment . In other words the dentists  are paying the company to treat patients! 

The costs in providing Covid dentistry are horrific and many dentists have gone bust the NHS provides nothing, costs of PPE have gone up by over 1000% and instead of 30 patients a day per dentist only 4 patients a day can be seen , with increased costs but vastly decreased income.

Unusually there does not seem to be a regulation on charging for PPE and how much it should be. But I am not aware of other nhs practices charging, as yet, 

kirtondm

Contractually we are not allowed to do it but us opticians will have to consider it doing it £20 per px on extended testing times and having to provide all PPE is a non starter. Their was a court case a few years back COSTCO V one of the CCG's. which gave as a judgement 'any cost of accessing an NHS eyetest' was a charge in respect of an eyetest and banned.

elsien

Found a link for one of the chains which is who my relative is with.
https://www.cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk/news/mydentist-increases-dental-charges-to-cover-additional-ppe-costs-2536

NeilCr

elsien said:

Found a link for one of the chains which is who my relative is with.
https://www.cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk/news/mydentist-increases-dental-charges-to-cover-additional-ppe-costs-2536

I go to MyDentist.  We had an email saying the PPE charge did not apply to NHS patients of which I am one

Confirmed here

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/cambridgeshire-dental-patients-face-extra-18471329

Vegastare

I am one of those who have NHS dental care and have expected it and am a bit old school in my belief...but I accept it is a limited option now in decline!!  My old and long retired dentist told be about 10 years ago that contracts etc and changes were stacked against them, and with Covid and the extra challenges am sure the cost with not all come to them from NHS   I left an NHS dental practice because it became a large chain with a dental turnaround so you never knew who you were seeing. 

 I managed to find a small practice (NHS)and travel about 36 miles round trip - would I be happy to pay him a small fee for PPE each visit .....yes I would and any requirements to aid the practice during this time.

fred246

The Tories hate the NHS and would love all dentistry to be private. This may be their opportunity. Pretend to be on the patient's side and ban extra charges. Big backlog of patients. Extra time for each one. Surgeries will abandon NHS and go private. Tories will blame the dentists and rub their hands. Job done.

elsien

NeilCr said:

elsien said:

Found a link for one of the chains which is who my relative is with.
https://www.cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk/news/mydentist-increases-dental-charges-to-cover-additional-ppe-costs-2536

I go to MyDentist.  We had an email saying the PPE charge did not apply to NHS patients of which I am one

Confirmed here

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/cambridgeshire-dental-patients-face-extra-18471329

Thanks. I don't think relative had understood that from the letter.
I wouldn't have any objection to paying a contribution but I'd like to know (from an NHS perspective) that there were guidelines around consistency and oversight. 

NeilCr

elsien said:

NeilCr said:

elsien said:

Found a link for one of the chains which is who my relative is with.
https://www.cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk/news/mydentist-increases-dental-charges-to-cover-additional-ppe-costs-2536

I go to MyDentist.  We had an email saying the PPE charge did not apply to NHS patients of which I am one

Confirmed here

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/cambridgeshire-dental-patients-face-extra-18471329

Thanks. I don't think relative had understood that from the letter.
I wouldn't have any objection to paying a contribution but I'd like to know (from an NHS perspective) that there were guidelines around consistency and oversight. 

No problem

It only really stuck in my mind because my and ex I were discussing it. She also uses MyDentist in another area and wasn't sure if she was still a NHS  patient. Various changes of ownership of the practice

I agree with you about paying. I feel the same about the hairdressers to be honest. These places aren't making any profit from the PPE

Undervalued

brook2jack2 said:

Most private practices will have to charge PPE as it's not just the cost of the equipment , it's the amount of time , an hour, a surgery needs to be left fallow afterwards before it can be cleaned and used again. 

One large dental chain is charging its associate dentists £7 for a non aerosol procedure , £48 Per aerosol procedure which is more than they take home for NHS treatment . In other words the dentists  are paying the company to treat patients! 

The costs in providing Covid dentistry are horrific and many dentists have gone bust the NHS provides nothing, costs of PPE have gone up by over 1000% and instead of 30 patients a day per dentist only 4 patients a day can be seen , with increased costs but vastly decreased income.

Unusually there does not seem to be a regulation on charging for PPE and how much it should be. But I am not aware of other nhs practices charging, as yet, 

I understand and sympathise with the dentist's plight (and many other businesses too).

However, surely an NHS practice can't just just charge the patients extra unless the government says so?

Is this a bit like dire warnings of charging NHS patients for missed appointments which legally they can't enforce?

sweetsand

I went to the dentist today paid a  175 pounds to have a wisdom tooth out as they would not do it on band 2 stating all types of excuses. So it was done privately. They said they done me a favour as they usually charge 225 I think they said. What a bunch of crooks, I'm referring to the ones I used