Patient charges to rise by 5% this year and again next
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- Published: Friday, 11 March 2016 16:34
- Written by News Editor
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The Government has announced that dental patients’ charges will rise by 5% from April this year and by a further 5% from April 2017. The BDA has criticised these increases with Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, chair of the GDPC, saying: “This unprecedented hike in dental charges will only serve to discourage the patients that are most in need of care. For government these increases may be a source of easy money, but they will only undermine the relationship between patients and practitioners.”
Charges from April 1, 2016
Band 1 course of treatment from £18.90 to £19.70.
Band 2 course of treatment from £51.30 to £53.90.
Band 3 course of treatment from £222.50 to £233.70.
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Charges from April 1, 2017
Band 1 course of treatment from £19.70 to £20.60.
Band 2 course of treatment from £53.90 to £56.30.
Band 3 course of treatment from £233.70 to £244.30.
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Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, Chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, attacked the decision: “This unprecedented hike in dental charges will only serve to discourage the patients that are most in need of care. This money doesn’t go to NHS dentists – they are being asked to play the role of tax collector, while our patients are singled out to subsidise the health service. We can’t tell them how this extra money will be spent, and whether a penny of it will actually end up improving dental care or access to dental services.
“For government these increases may be a source of easy money, but they will only undermine the relationship between patients and practitioners. These charges were first introduced in 1951 to limit demand for NHS dentistry, and that’s precisely what they do best. Government has given patients another reason to avoid visiting their dentist.”
The charges were announced in a written parliamentary answer by Health Minister, Alistair Burt MP, who said: “In the 2015 Spending Review, the government committed to a £10 billion investment in real terms by 2020 to 2021 to fund frontline NHS services. Alongside this, the government expects the National Health Service to deliver £22 billion of efficiency savings because we must make the best use of NHS resources. We have taken the decision to uplift dental charges for those who can afford it, through a 5% increase this year and next.
“Dental charges remain an important contribution to the overall cost of dental services, first introduced in 1951, but we will keep protecting the most vulnerable within society. NHS dental treatment will remain free for those under the age of 18, those under the age of 19 and receiving full-time education, pregnant women or those who have had a baby in the previous 12 months, and those on qualifying low income benefits.”
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