NHS dentist charges rise by 5% in England

From the BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47724076An inflation-busting hike in dentistry fees mean NHS patients in England will pay £1.10 extra for a routine check-up.The new charges, which begin on Monday, will also see the cost of a set of dentures rise by £12.80 to nearly £270.Dentistry leaders say charges are increasingly being relied on and in the future dentistry could end up as an NHS service " in name only " .But the government said charges were important to help keep services sustainable.The new charges are:Band 1 treatment (examination, X-rays and scale and polish) £22.70Band 2 treatment (fillings and root canal work) £62.10Band 3 treatment (crowns, dentures and bridges) £269.30What are the charges for?Analysis by the British Dental Association shows patient charges are increasingly being used to fund the service.They account for nearly 30% of the budget, up from just over 20% in 2010.The government currently invests £2bn a year in the service - a drop of £500m in real terms since 2010.It means England is behind the rest of the UK when it comes to public funding.Currently, the government funds the service to the equivalent of £36 per person per year, compared with over £50 in Scotland and Northern Ireland.BDA leader Henrik Overgaard-Nielson said charges were discouraging to patients and covering for " savage cuts " ." Unless ministers change course, within a decade our patients will be putting more in at the point of delivery than government, " he said....
Source: Dental Technology Blog - Category: Dentistry Source Type: news