Gillingham dentist says the NHS contracts are unsustainable
LDRS: A new report states practitioners are finding it too expensive to carry out publicly funded dentistry and they're refusing to register new NHS patients.
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00:00 It's the first routine inspection of the day for this Gillingham dentist.
00:07 The amount the practice receives for NHS appointments is calculated by units of dental activity.
00:15 But issues with this is making the sector far from smiley.
00:18 "If a patient comes in and needs three fillings, you used to get paid for all three fillings.
00:22 Since 2006, when they changed the contract, it's a UDA contract. That means if a patient
00:27 needs three fillings, you get paid for one single item for one filling. That's when literally
00:32 the majority of dentists like myself, with over 20 years of experience, they moved more
00:36 into the private sector."
00:38 More than half of all dentists in Medway say they won't do any more NHS work due to these
00:43 financial pressures. Strude being the worst of all the towns according to the local ICB.
00:49 "I mean I did have a dentist and then they sort of stopped doing what I wanted to do
00:56 so I've had to go private to be honest."
00:58 "I've been with the same NHS dentist since 1970, though I know they don't take any NHS
01:05 patients now."
01:08 "My family who live here already have struggled to get NHS dental treatment so I didn't even
01:15 try."
01:16 "Press 2 if you are a new patient."
01:19 Calling all 35 dental practices in the authority, I found none would take me on as an NHS patient
01:26 with most citing issues with staffing and sheer demand. The issue discussed at the latest
01:31 Medway Health scrutiny at the council.
01:34 "The ICB are trying their best to work within the constraints that they have to provide
01:40 the best service that we can but it's hard."
01:43 However the committee is frustrated at the lack of clarity to the extent of waiting lists
01:48 locally.
01:48 "Surely as a commissioning body you want to do better by knowing what that figure is
01:53 out there and what the problem is out there surely."
01:56 "So I think just to go back I guess if we're looking at how many dentists are accepting
02:03 NHS patients we can do that because that's a piece of work that we can do. It was the
02:09 waiting list about actually how many patients are waiting for an NHS dentist which was the
02:12 bigger challenge."
02:13 Responding to the findings of the local ICB reports the government told us their dental
02:17 recovery scheme will create millions of appointments over the next 12 months.
02:21 And their new patient premium scheme encourages dentists to take on new NHS patients ensuring
02:27 around 1 million new patients can access an NHS dentist.
02:31 But back at a clinic they say government reforms are too little, too late and are calling for
02:37 drastic action before NHS dentists disappear from our streets.
02:41 Gabriel Morris in Gillingham.
02:43 (chimes)