Dentistry,  Socialized Dentistry

NHS Dentistry Watch: Poll Says Dentists Will Still Quit

The Yorkshire Post Today has New deal fails to stop dentists quitting NHS

MILLIONS more dental patients face having to pay for private treatment as a new contract aimed at improving the state of NHS dentistry looks set to have the opposite effect.

Half of dentists will quit the NHS and many others will reduce their health service commitment amid anger about the new contract which comes into force in April, a poll of practitioners has found. Ministers hope the contract will revitalise NHS dentistry by moving practitioners off the “treadmill” of existing NHS care in what is being billed by many as a “last chance” to save health service dentistry.
But the survey of 270 dentists carried out by Skipton dentist Andy Bates found that 50 per cent would quit the NHS unless there were substantial improvements in the draft contract currently on offer. A further 31 per cent would drastically reduce their NHS commitment. Only nine per cent said they would stay as they were and just three per cent said they would build on their practice using the new system.

Flap handicaps a NHS Dentistry collpase unless the Labour government of Tony Blair dramatically infuses money into the public socialized system.

If the new NHS contract fails to appease the practicing dentists (even with its guarantee of a substantial income) dentistry will FINALLY go ALL private.

The British would be wise to take this step forward rather than heavily subsidize an inefficient and inequitable system.

Related: NHS Dentistry Watch: More Dentists Now, More Dentists Later

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