Dentist warns Cambridgeshire patients of NHS dental charge rise impact
NHS dental charges in England jumped by 8.5 per cent this week
A Littleport dentist believes patients will feel the force of a rise in NHS dental charges which came into force across England this week.
Charges have jumped by 8.5 per cent, with a survey by YouGov of adults in England finding that nearly a quarter report delaying or going without NHS dental treatment for cost reasons.
Dr Dipali Chokshi, of Littleport Dental Surgery, said this and its other practices have waiting lists stretching “thousands of patients long”.
And she knows the rise in dental fees for current patients will affect them.
“Any price rise or cost that goes up is going to have an impact on people, so even if it seems like £5 (more), it does add up,” said Dr Chokshi.
“We have not been accepting any new NHS patients for almost three years in any of our practices.”
In the YouGov survey, 38 per cent say dentistry should be fully funded by government through general taxation, free at the point of delivery.
"We get a lot of abuse because patients are frustrated"
Dr Chokshi feels dental practices should receive more government funding to cope with increasing costs to provide a dental service.
And it is not just rising dental charges that are the issue in NHS dentistry.
“The problem is not just the finite funding, but a recruitment crisis in dentistry due to a number of factors, predominantly Brexit,” she said.
“With the rising cost of providing this service, we’re not getting any more money from the NHS so we’re expected to provide a service with rising energy costs, recruitment costs, rent and rates.
“But the increase we get from the government and NHS to support our rising costs is only one to two per cent, so the patient costs have gone up but the money we’re getting from government hasn’t gone up in line.”
Dr Chokshi said staff at Littleport Dental Surgery have received abuse from patients on a regular basis, largely due to frustration.
“We get a lot of abuse because patients are frustrated and we’re the only people they can direct that frustration, too,” she added.
“The NHS is a beautiful service and is heavily subsidising the cost of dental care for patients, so yes, they might be upset about the price rises, but what they would pay privately is a lot more.”
NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough has reassured patients that financial support for the higher dental charges is available.
A spokesperson said: “Local people can apply to the NHS Low Income Scheme to get help with dental charges.
“People who are eligible for free dental care, for example because they are pregnant or because they are receiving income support, will continue to be able to access NHS dentistry services free of charge.”