Concern as some NHS dentists will ‘accept children only if parents go private’

Around one in eight parents claim they have been able to sign up their child to an NHS dentist only if they agree to be a private patient at the surgery, a poll suggests.

Healthwatch England has called for action, saying the condition put on parents is a “breach of contract”.

The patient champion said a new poll revealed a “worrying” number of parents who said their dentist would see their child as an NHS patient only if the parent became a private patient.

Healthwatch England has called on the Government to to give the public a “GP-style” right to register permanently with a local NHS dentist to access ongoing check-ups and appointments.

It comes after a new poll, conducted on 1,791 adults across England, found that 27% could not get an NHS dentist when they last needed care so they had to pay for private treatment.

Some 16% said they had not been seen by an NHS dentist in the last two years because they could not get an appointment.

The survey, conducted by Savanta, included 836 parents of under-18s.

Of these, some 13% said that they tried but were unable to get NHS care for their child.

And 12% said that they could get NHS dental care for their child only if they signed up as a private patient at the dentist – 10% of 883 parents surveyed in March faced the same issue.

A new Healthwatch document states: “Some parents report being forced to register as private patients before their children can access NHS care. The poll also suggests this is an issue that is not going away, with the percentage reporting this increasingly slightly from March to September.”

“There was a worrying, though small, number of parents who said their dentist would only see their child as an NHS patient if the parent became a private patient at the same practice,” said Healthwatch England chief executive Louise Ansari.

“We have alerted NHS England and urged them to remind dentists that this is a breach of their NHS contract.

“Children who are aged under 18 and those under 19 who are in full-time education, are eligible for free NHS dental treatment at practices with available NHS appointments for children.

“Families should not experience any other financial barriers to this care.

“This new research is a reminder that people across the UK continue to face real struggles to get oral care.”

Healthwatch England said that its polling suggests that NHS dental access “remains stagnant” – despite a new payment incentive for dentists which was introduced in March under the previous government.

Out of all of the adults surveyed, some 54% said they want the ability to register permanently with a local NHS dentist in the same way that they can with a GP surgery.

Ms Ansari added: “There is confusion about the relationship between an NHS dentist and patients, with many patients mistakenly believing they can register with a dentist for life.

“It’s clear NHS dentistry is not fit for purpose and that people want a new kind of solution – a GP-style system, which will allow them to register permanently with a dental practice to access ongoing appointments and check-ups easily.

“It’s now vital that Government consults with the public and dental leaders to determine what kind of dental system they’ll deliver to improve people’s oral health now, and for future generations.”

Shawn Charlwood, chairman of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee said: “Both patients and dentists clearly value continuity of care, with all the certainties and health benefits that come with it.

“But registration alone would simply show how far NHS dentistry is from a universal service. Without wholesale reform and sustainable funding we’d see queues nationwide in the scramble to get on the books at struggling practices.”

An NHS England spokesperson said: “While we know there is a lot more to do to improve access to dentistry services for patients, this should never be an excuse for dentists to require patients to join as private patients for their children to receive NHS dental care – that is completely unacceptable.

“The NHS has taken steps to improve access including incentivising dentists to work in underserved areas.

“And we will continue to work with the Government and the profession to reform the dental contract and deliver more appointments for patients.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson added: “We inherited a dental sector suffering from years of neglect and it is our priority to turn it around.

“We will create 700,000 extra urgent dentistry appointments and reform the dental contract to make NHS work more appealing to dentists.

“We will also focus on preventing tooth decay among young children by introducing supervised brushing in schools for three to five-year-olds in areas where it’s most needed.”