Nhs Dentistry Post April 06

[izzy]

On Sunday, Tony Blair, talking about patient care in the NHS, announced at the Labour conference, "I'm going to make the NHS so good that even those who could go private, won't want to".

Look's like he forgot to say 'except dentistry'.

I write this as dentist, so I would value any feedback re reaction to this. This is my position.

I have a part-time position in a practice which is predominately private; we still see kids and exempt (benefit) people on the NHS. The department of health will not allow us (or any practice in this position) a contract for treating only children and exempt people on the NHS (as this would be discriminatory on the grounds of age and income). Therefore, as April 06 approaches, dentists are now being asked to chose - full NHS or full private.

As someone who did 5 years in an NHS practice, working under an intolerably intense workload for 10 hours a day for 32K a year, I'd rather re-train than go back on the treadmill.

Practices will therefore have to tie their colours to the mast and make some very hard decisions. If, like us, they chose to go fully private, kids will have to pay.

Any thoughts?

[IPOD]

What would it take to entice you (and your colleagues) to go back to the NHS? More money?

[mhifoe]

On Sunday, Tony Blair, talking about patient care in the NHS, announced at the Labour conference, "I'm going to make the NHS so good that even those who could go private, won't want to".

Look's like he forgot to say 'except dentistry'.

I write this as dentist, so I would value any feedback re reaction to this. This is my position.

I have a part-time position in a practice which is predominately private; we still see kids and exempt (benefit) people on the NHS. The department of health will not allow us (or any practice in this position) a contract for treating only children and exempt people on the NHS (as this would be discriminatory on the grounds of age and income). Therefore, as April 06 approaches, dentists are now being asked to chose - full NHS or full private.

As someone who did 5 years in an NHS practice, working under an intolerably intense workload for 10 hours a day for 32K a year, I'd rather re-train than go back on the treadmill.

Practices will therefore have to tie their colours to the mast and make some very hard decisions. If, like us, they chose to go fully private, kids will have to pay.

Any thoughts?

That's a ridiculous decision by the Government.

I presume at the moment many private dentists will treat the children of their patients on the NHS. This could cause immense hardships for many people. Childrens dentistry must be really expensive, how much would it cost to get a full brace (including the 20 or so orthodontist appointments) if you were paying privately?

I expect many people will be forced to decide not to have their children treated.

[izzy]

What would it take to entice you (and your colleagues) to go back to the NHS? More money?

Personally speaking, I believe working conditions and the resources to do the job as well as you can are the most important factors. To illustriate:

Example 1) A list of 4000 patients. 5 minutes per check-up, see 40-50 patients a day. No time to treat nervous adults/ children gently. Production line dentistry. Use only cheapest materials and laboratories (ie get dentures/ crowns made in Turkey) (don't talk to me about the price of gold). Pay staff minimun possible rate.

Example 2) Have list of 1000 patients. Adequate time to do the work as well as you can. Extra time for nervous adults/ kids. Use quality local labs for dentures / crowns. Choice of materials for patients. Pay staff a decent wage and so retain valuable quality staff. Get paid more than a hairdressor charges for a cut and blow dry for a surgical extraction. (After all, I have to pay going rate for all my services).

In all honesty, I'm happy to earn 45k a year (full-time) if my working conditions are acceptable.

[No Muggy Bear]

There is only one solution.

Get your teeth kicked out and buy some dentures off Ebay.

Problem solved.

You know it makes sense.