Is NHS Dentistry effectively dead..? 27 April 2021 at 10:51PM in Health & beauty MoneySaving 45 replies 3K views

brook2jack2

In any dispute like this the dentist has to be given to opportunity to rectify the fault or examine the problem and refund , if appropriate . 

In any dispute the first stage is to make a complaint, in writing, to the practice . They have to reply in a short time frame. There is then a NHS resolution framework to follow , if NHS treatment. The practice have to follow this complaints procedure and provide details of it if a patient is dissatisfied with the results of their complaint. 

Undervalued

brook2jack2 said:

I , in all honesty , cannot understand why anyone would want to chase and blame a grieving family at a time like that , for something that is not their responsibility. 

They are not chasing or blaming "a grieving family" as you so emotively put it!

They would be chasing the deceased's estate, just as any other creditor at the time of his death would be fully entitled to do. The family, or other beneficiaries named in any will, are entitled to what is left after his debts, funeral expenses and any inheritance tax liabilities have been settled.

As I said earlier in this thread if, hypothetically, the deceased had been receiving any state benefits that had been paid for a few days beyond his death they would be clawed back too.

I fully accept that there may well be all kinds of things wrong with how NHS dentistry is administered. However that is not remotely the individual patient's problem. 

Undervalued

elsien said:

I’m going to go off topic now, but it’s relevant in the sense of two charges. 

Person visits dentist for dental plate. Dentist is incredibly rude to person.  Cast sent off and plate duly comes back and patient collects without any offer from dentist of fitting to check that it is ok.
Plate is completely ill fitting and unfit for purpose. Patient declines to see first dentist again - says she would rather go without teeth than see dentist ever again! 
 Second dentist considers plate unable to be rectified; second fee charged by second dentist. 

As the first dentist was not given the option of putting things right, is this a matter for person to just have to pay twice, or is there a case for a refund from dentist one? 

Assuming this was private treatment then normal consumer laws would apply. 

It would generally be expected to give any supplier of goods or service one opportunity to correct any faults. However if the supplier had behaved so badly that a reasonable person would be unwilling to deal with them again, it is usually possible to convince a court to award compensation regardless.

However, it seems from this thread that NHS dentistry is exempt from normal civil claims rules so in that case who knows!

brook2jack2

Assuming this was private treatment then normal consumer laws would apply. 

It would generally be expected to give any supplier of goods or service one opportunity to correct any faults. However if the supplier had behaved so badly that a reasonable person would be unwilling to deal with them again, it is usually possible to convince a court to award compensation regardless.

However, it seems from this thread that NHS dentistry is exempt from normal civil claims rules so in that case who knows!

Actually no , in healthcare there are special rules and normal consumer laws do not totally  apply in the same way both NHS and private care. This is because of the nature of health care is a little more complex than supplying a fridge or plumbing in a bathroom. 

Toothsmith

elsien said:

I’m going to go off topic now, but it’s relevant in the sense of two charges. 

Person visits dentist for dental plate. Dentist is incredibly rude to person.  Cast sent off and plate duly comes back and patient collects without any offer from dentist of fitting to check that it is ok.
Plate is completely ill fitting and unfit for purpose. Patient declines to see first dentist again - says she would rather go without teeth than see dentist ever again! 
 Second dentist considers plate unable to be rectified; second fee charged by second dentist. 

As the first dentist was not given the option of putting things right, is this a matter for person to just have to pay twice, or is there a case for a refund from dentist one? 

A denture would always require a fitting appt. it's unusual for one to fit correctly straight from the box.