A health minister has come under fire for proposing to charge patients a £10 monthly “insurance-style” fee to access NHS dentistry.
Primary Care Minister Andrea Leadsom is said to have raised the idea at several roundtables held by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Sources told Health Service Journal that officials invited patient groups and dental experts to discuss how to resolve the access crisis.
At one of the meetings, which took place in April, a potential fee of around £10 a month was mentioned, they said.
It was suggested that this fee (equivalent to £240 a year for a couple) would entitle subscribers to regular check-ups and some other inclusive dental care.
More than one in five people avoided going to the dentist due to cost in January 2024, a significant increase from 15 percent just a year earlier.
But the British Dental Association said the rate is more than some private insurers charge for coverage and the Labor Party said it would effectively be another tax rise.
It comes as some Brits have been forced to turn to DIY dentistry (pulling teeth at home) after struggling to get appointments in areas labeled “dental deserts”.
A source said Leadsom compared the proposal to the “pre-payment” schemes used by some people who pay for long-term prescription drugs.
But the source said it sounded more like a “health insurance” style deal separate from the NHS, which would be difficult for some to afford.
A health source familiar with the proposal told the HSJ: “They are framing this as a sort of prepayment or quid pro quo, but of course we already pay for the NHS through income tax and overall it is a very much more equitable.” way to do it.’
They were concerned that the government intended this to be part of a future dental fee reform, they said.
Another said: “It would certainly be new ground for the NHS.”
Jacob Lant, chief executive of National Voices, which was among the organizations represented at the roundtables, said: “With too many people already avoiding going to the dentist due to cost, we urge that eligibility for free services be significantly expanded.” NHS dental care.
‘This would help address a major barrier preventing people from accessing this vital preventative service.
“Any proposal to change existing charging structures and amounts would need serious analysis to ensure that existing health inequalities are not exacerbated.”
He highlighted evidence from a recent survey showing that more than one in five people avoided going to the dentist due to cost in January 2024, a significant increase from 15 per cent just a year earlier.
Barry Cockcroft, who was chief dental officer for England from 2005 to 2015 and who was also present at the meetings as an independent expert still involved in dentistry, said: “It is difficult to see how it could be implemented, and it is difficult to imagine how it could be implemented.” . would cope with the movement of people (between areas and practices).
“There are so many imponderables that it is impossible to think that it can ever be implemented.”
Shawn Charlwood, chair of the British Dental Association’s general dental practice committee, said: “If the rumors are true, the government would set up a payment plan for NHS dentistry that is more expensive than many private plans.
“It would not offer a cure for lack of investment, failed contracts or growing inequality.”
Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said: ‘Rishi Sunak must come clean about his secret plan to introduce charges for the NHS.
‘Sunak and his Conservative colleagues have previously proposed charging patients for GP appointments and A&E admissions.
‘The public deserves to know what the Conservatives are planning for the NHS if they are given another five years.
‘Workers cannot afford another Tory tax increase.
“Labour’s rescue plan will provide an extra 700,000 emergency appointments, funded by a clampdown on tax evaders and non-dominants, and restore NHS dentistry for the long term.”