Technical query about dental charge

Floss

If I have prepaid for an NHS filling that is not yet done, can I claim a refund as I am now covered by a medical exemption certificate?

Undervalued

Thinking aloud, the NHS cannot enforce a charge for a missed appointment although how that is resolved in practice if the patient has paid in advance I have no idea.

Presumably it must be possible to cancel an appointment that has been paid in advance and only pay the appropriate NHS fee for any work done so far?

e.g a patient has a checkup (band 1) and is told they need aanother appointment for filling, which makes the whole package a band 2 charge. For whatever reason they decide not to have the filling done I would assume they are only liable to pay for band 1 and if they have paid in advance for band 2 they must be entitled to a pro rata refund?

mda99das

Exemption is from the date of assessment. What you are asking your dentist to do is technically fraudulent as you cannot submit 2 claims.  If you terminate treatment the dentist has no further obligation to see you and you may find you have been removed from the list.

Floss

To clarify, I have not "missed an appointment".

I am not "terminating treatment", or asking the dentist to make 2 claims.

Two days after the date of check-up (when I paid for the course of treatment) and 2 weeks before the later appointment to have a filling, I received a diagnosis which gives me medical exemption from NHS charges.

What I was asking is: can I claim a refund for the filling charge, as at the point of having that treatment I am exempt from NHS charges? 

My view is that if I had not pre-paid, I would not now be charged at the time of having the filling - so can I claim that back @Toothsmith ?

Undervalued

Floss said:

To clarify, I have not "missed an appointment".

I am not "terminating treatment", or asking the dentist to make 2 claims.

Two days after the date of check-up (when I paid for the course of treatment) and 2 weeks before the later appointment to have a filling, I received a diagnosis which gives me medical exemption from NHS charges.

What I was asking is: can I claim a refund for the filling charge, as at the point of having that treatment I am exempt from NHS charges? 

My view is that if I had not pre-paid, I would not now be charged at the time of having the filling - so can I claim that back @Toothsmith ?

I realise that.

I was just pointing out that, as if somebody does miss an NHS appointment they cannot be forced to pay, it seems odd that you have less rights as a result of paying in advance.

Ms_Mop_123

I've always understood that a medical exemption certificate was only to get prescriptions free, it doesn't include dental work. Both my daughters have one, one for thyroid issues and the other because she's within 5 years of a cancer diagnosis, both pay for their dental work. 

Toothsmith

I'm not that sure about the technicalities of NHS charges any more. Been ages since I've had anything to do with it. 

I know that if you begin a course of treatment with an exemption, and something changes to make you lose that exemptions before the end of treatment, you still don't have to pay for that course. 

I suspect that if you become exempt part way through treatment, you can claim the payments back, but I don't think you can claim them back from the dentist. I think you have to claim them back from the NHS somehow. 

@brook2Jack2 might know more 

brook2jack2

I'm sorry but as you started the course of treatment as a paying patient the whole course of treatment will have to be paid for , even though you became exempt half way through.

However medical exemption applies to prescription charges it does not apply to dental charges. So if you don't have an exemption due to claiming a qualifying benefit or being under 18 etc , even if you have a medical exemption for prescriptions that does not apply to dental treatment.