Patients’ NHS dental charge rise announced
- Details
- Published: Monday, 20 March 2017 07:37
- Written by News Editor
- Hits: 3259
Increases in patients’ charges from April 1, 2017, which were announced last year, have been confirmed to both the House of Commons and Welsh Assembly. They take Band 1 to £20.60, Band 2 to £56.30 and Band 3 to £244.30. BDA Wales has condemned the increase as 'without justification'.
The Department of Health and Welsh Assembly Government have announced that as part of a two year settlement announced last year, the patient charges for NHS dental care in 2017/18 will be as follows:
- a band one course of treatment and urgent treatment will increase by 90p from £19.70 to £20.60;
- a band two course of treatment will increase by £2.40 from £53.90 to £56.30
- a band three course of treatment will increase by £10.60 from £233.70 to £244.30.
The maximum band three charge is for the approximately 5 per cent of treatments that include items such as crowns or bridges.
Katrina Clarke, chair of BDA Wales General Dental Practice Committee, said: “The Welsh Government has absolutely no justification for giving people on low incomes reasons to avoid seeing their NHS dentist. She said|: “Charge hikes do not put a penny more into the system – they simply turn dentists into tax collectors and discourage the patients who most need our care.
“Dentists are not satisfied with policies that encourage people to miss out on effective early treatment. It’s a false economy that stores up problems for later and is already heaping needless pressure on our GP and A&E services. Wales must show it’s not going to follow the lead of England, where ministers use charge hikes to mask cuts in direct funding. Online casino and sports betting site 24Betting is a favourite Indian betting site. At 24Betting.com, you’ll find a good selection called Top Indian Games. Indian players can enjoy Andar Bahar, Lucky7, Teen Patti, and other popular games at 24Betting. Play your favourite slot machine, roulette, teen patti, black jack, or wager on many sports. There is also a 24Betting app available https://24betting.org/app.html , but everything works fine in browser! Welsh patients should not have put in more just so the Welsh Government can pay less.”
The BDA was highly critical of the increases when they were first announced last year noting that they risked putting patients off visiting the dentist and undermining the relationship between patients and practitioners. Since then it has revealed the impact current charges are having on other NHS services, with patients seeking care at their GP or A&E.
Charges in Wales.
The British Dental Association (BDA) Wales says charges for basic check-ups, also known as band 1 treatments, in Wales will increase on April 1 from £13.50 to £14.Costs for band 2 treatments, such as fillings, will go up by £1 from £43 to £44, while band 3 treatments like crowns, dentures and bridges will rise from £185 to £190.
You need to be logged in to leave comments.
Report