Which? campaign: Action needed to clean up dental costs
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- Published: Sunday, 18 January 2015 23:59
- Written by News Editor
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Which? has launched a new campaign: Clean Up Dental Costs. They have found that people could be paying more than they need to, because some dentists aren’t upfront about prices or clear about what treatment patients are entitled to on the NHS. Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: “We are calling on the NHS and the regulators to clean up dental costs and make sure the existing rules are put into practice consistently.”
Existing rules state that dentists must have a price list prominently on display in their surgery and set out treatment costs upfront. Yet Which? new research finds half (51%) of people who visited a dentist in the last six months didn’t see a price list and one in five (22%) weren’t clear about costs ahead of their treatment.
In a separate mystery shopping investigation, they sent undercover researchers into dental practices offering both NHS and private treatment, but only half our researchers saw a price list displayed, with the majority of practices not showing any private prices. This makes it difficult for people to compare costs between practices, as well as between NHS and private treatments.
They asked an expert panel to assess the quality of the undercover visits and they found problems with communication of prices and treatment options. Half (12) of the 25 visits were rated poor or very poor for explaining the difference between NHS and private options, eight poor or very poor for explaining prices, and the same number poor or very poor for explaining treatment options.
In their survey, Which? also found evidence that some people could be being overcharged. One in five (19%) NHS patients who pay said they paid more than one charge for one course of NHS treatment over the last two years when they shouldn’t have.
With a quarter (26%) of people unsure about how NHS and private treatments differ and around four in 10 (40%) unaware that all clinically necessary treatment should be provided by the NHS, it’s important that dentists are clear with their patients about cost and treatment options - especially as a third (31%) of people who pay say costs have put them off having treatment.
Their ‘Clean Up Dental Costs’ campaign is calling on NHS England and regulators to make sure all dentists comply with existing rules and make information on prices clearly available, explain the treatment options properly, and make sure patients know whether or not their treatment is available on the NHS.
Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: “A visit to the dentist is an essential health check for millions of people across the country. Most of us will need dental treatment throughout our lives and it’s important that when that happens people feel clear about the nature of the treatment and what it will cost upfront. We are calling on the NHS and the regulators to clean up dental costs and make sure the existing rules are put into practice consistently.”
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