John RedwoodĀ (Wokingham) (Con):
Wokingham has a fast-growing population based on building a lot of new homes. So as the Secretary of State rolls out her new plans, will she also ensure that there are incentives to provide dental services on the NHS in areas where a population is moving in and needs them?
Victoria Atkins, (Secretary of State for Health):
My right hon. Friend raises an interesting point. Indeed, that is exactly the sort of discussion I am having with my right hon. Friend the Levelling Up Secretary, because I am really interested in having that connected and joined-up approach between planning and health. I think it could bring dividends for us all.
February 12, 2024
Top down, government tractor target, socialist and government knows best. This from our very silly heath secretary a lawyer (under training to be a health sec.) but with zero medical knowledge) despite being paid over four times that of many junior doctors)
Will her new, top down, lunacy ensure dentists get paid properly for doing sensible things for peopleās teeth on the NHS? As I have pointed our first year junior doctors are paid insufficient to rent a small room and live on after their student loan interest after 40+ hours of work plus perhaps 10 hours of commuting too. But perhaps simple arithmetic is beyond her and her advisors or perhaps she just assumes parents will subsidise their childrent for even more years than the 5 or 6 they probable have done already.
February 12, 2024
+++
How on EARTH would one manage to NOT have a ājoined-up and connectedā approach to what passes as healthcare re the concreting-over of remaining countryside and vastly increasing population.
More people = more mouths = more teeth = more decay and PAIN = any normal government would have made provision PRIOR to concreting-over the fields.
How will these people TRAVEL to the nearest dentist from these newly built 15 min enclosures?
February 13, 2024
How? Empire building which is the hallmark of government, from Prime Ministers to local councils. They will defend their fiefdoms to the death (of us probably). I learned last night from Rishi that he has made yet another new ‘department’ as if we needed even more rules and regulations. A statement so impressive I cannot now remember what it was, but just another politicians ‘cure’ for something or other – more government.
February 12, 2024
I donāt think Ā£20,000 is much of an incentive to persuade a dentist to set up in an area lacking NHS dentistry.
February 12, 2024
Peter, ++++, you’re quite right, the setting up of a new practice takes the calculation into an altogether more exotic level.
February 12, 2024
Those medical degrees are long enough to cause the complaint that – by inflation – the moderate standard of living that was promised at the outset of training was not delivered six years later.
My son is still in student digs with a shared bathroom in his 8th year since he started his medical degree. He can section, discharge and prescribe and has led two crash teams already and starts his consultant training next year. Getting decent accommodation is a long way off and will need our help… yet again.
February 12, 2024
Each strike day there are complaints that junior doctors didn’t do their job but they are perfectly right to demand that they are acknowledged for all the days they worked for free because inflation took away the pay that they were promised when they started their training. Inflation hasn’t reduced their student debt @7% interest though.
February 12, 2024
Paula
Afraid the whole system is a disgrace.
For years I have suggested free training for all doctors and nurses, providing they are contracted to, and agree to serve in the NHS for 10 years immediately after training, thus no fees apply at all, unless they opt out, or do not serve in the NHS as previously agreed, then whatever fees they would have paid (fees would be notified in advance of starting training) for their training to date are agreed.are due.
It works in many other industries, and our Armed forces apply that simple logic of earning whilst you are learning.
For the above to work you need proper selection of candidates and a much larger training organisation that can cope with larger numbers.
When I served my 5 year fully indentured engineering apprenticeship 60 years ago, a legal document was signed at the outset by my parents ((i was not legally old enough) and the Company providing the proposed training, who paid my wages.
February 12, 2024
Nothing to do with levelling up. Again a useless end up with nothing knee jerk to suffering in the polls.
Spot on. It is to do with paying an acceptable amount for all treatments.
It is well known that NHS payment schemes end up with āpull and forgetā merchants. Dated surgeries or state of the art? My dentist back in the day had to go all private because the NHS would not pay sufficiently or at all for some of the treatments he needed to do.
Victoria Aitkin or our host, or indeed any MP. Do they use NHS dentists, I bet not. Sunak? Ha.
My sister had the option, lose it on the NHS or pay privately. Obviously she scraped up for the latter and has still got the tooth.
Provision of NHS dentistry has been a shabby lying disgrace under both parties for decades.
February 12, 2024
Nigl, ++++ your final sentence is concise and accurate.
Think of DIY around the house, and compare to having the job done by a tradesman.
The ‘system’, as with GPs, dictates time constraints which militate against fully effective treatment and insufficient time for that essential for clinical success, viz. Listening Time.
February 12, 2024
The leveliing up Secretary Gove is another idiotic & innumerate it seems socialist (he read English) he supports Starmerās 20% moronic VAT on private school fees proposal and even wanted to go further by abolition of charitable status for private schools – perhaps even all education levels? An act of vandalism which will damage many good schools, harm the economy and end up costing the government far more than it ever raises as people fall back on the state system. Vastly anti-competitive as users of private schools will then pay four times over lrgely killing that efficient sector They really should get a tax break or voucher they can use as they are not costing the state system anything but still paying for it. More amd more schools, dentists and healthcare should be private not fewer. So as to cost the state less.
Taxes the highest for 70 years, a huge state sector and yet they cannot even fix potholes, run a half decent health-care system or fix childrenās teeth affordably. Oh well pliers are fairly cheap I suppose.
February 12, 2024
The political attack against Labour’s policy shouldn’t be a defence of the schools’ charitable status but, rather, asking why Labour wants to tax education paid for out of post-tax earnings. The attack should be relentless.
Gove? Like Haig, a big disappointment.
February 12, 2024
Indeed it is clearly grossly unfair competition from the state you pay for times over to go to a private school but it is āfreeā if you go to the state one. As we have with healthcare with rather disastrous results in terms of rationing, delays and outcomes. Why do competition authorities never consider unfair subsidised competition from the state sector such as the BBC, NHS, schools, housing, public transportā¦
Grant Shapps, was āfuriousā about what was described as āwoke nonsenseā and had ordered the review, is quoted as saying that there would be no ālowering of security clearance requirements on my watchā. But if you recruit on diversity ground rather than on merit you are clearly letting standards fall and this has happened already for years. Also rather less chance of them turning up for any war as they might get pregnant or refuse to turn up to fight certain enemies for their religious or similar grounds.
Cressida Dick used to say she wanted to recruit the best of the best and for this to reflect the diversity of Londonās population – you cannot really do both dear as it would be a one in a billion+ chance should recruiting on merit just happen to match Londonās diversity. Logic and maths clearly not her strong point.
February 12, 2024
four times over I meant – normal tax and NI for other peopleās schooling, tax on the extra money you earn to pay fees for your kids, then the school fees, then 20% VAT on top should socialists Starmer & Gove get their way.
February 12, 2024
Yeah …but they’re only following government policy
February 12, 2024
I saw Irish vat free public schools trying to attract private parents from the UK, why that Country is allowed an uncompetitive special low tax regime yet weāre told we canāt have one outside Europe is becoming a joke now. They donāt have to contribute 2% of their GDP to NATO peace keeping. What next will they be offering dental weekend visits, do they just poach UK trained dentists without the cost of training them, how do student loans get their 9% UK graduate tax? We English were first attacked by the Scottish led Blairs Labour Party (who protected their own offspring voting down tuition fees for them), then Osborne, elected by the English triple stabbed our kids in their backs and hamstrung the most capable with a sky high tuition fee repayment loan for 30 years set at interest rates higher than mortgage rates.
February 12, 2024
Gove looks less of a disappointment if awarded his true title of Levelling Down Secretary.
February 12, 2024
+1
February 12, 2024
Lifelogic
Agree, what a mixed up system we have for both health and schools.
Those who go private should be welcomed, because they are saving the State huge amounts of money and shortening waiting lists and demands on both services, not only are they paying out of taxed income, but they are also paying taxation for the State provided services which they do not use.
Clearly we do not want to go back to the 1950’s when dentists were encouraged to find teeth that may need filling, made a good living, and wrecked peoples teeth for the rest of their lives as well, as fillings need replacement and further replacement during a life time, but clearly they need to be paid sensibly for the work that they do, otherwise why should they bother.
I see that schools PFI costs are rearing their ugly head again with regards to the huge percentage they take out of School budgets, Gordon Brown started these “get now pay forever schemes”, but they remained being used until 2018 according to the media this morning.
February 12, 2024
+1
February 12, 2024
@Lifelogic
Every Public (now called Private for some bizarre reason) School fee paid is one less burden on the State Sector schooling. Its a typical Labour (& now a Con-Conservative) approach to life, ‘leveling up’ isn’t about raising standards it is about dragging everything down to its lowest level.
February 12, 2024
āOnly 64.1% of patients started NHS treatment within 62 days of cancer being suspected, meaning nearly 100,000 waited longer than they should for life-saving care. The waits have worsened every year for the past 11. Macmillan Cancer Support chief executive Gemma Peters called the figures “shocking” I see so King Charles was rather lucky to be able to get in within a week by paying. But then I supposes he did save a few Ā£Billion in his mother being exempt from 40% IHT over Ā£325k that other with just this sum have to pay.
I suspect these Cancer Treatment delays do not even save any money for the NHS but just make the costs for the NHS increase as the later treatment get more complex, less successful and rather more expensive. They send & largely waste nearly 50% of GDP but we get very little of any real value in return.
February 12, 2024
Triage is always going to be the most effective, but poorly provided in ‘Not a Health Service’.
February 12, 2024
I doubt our ‘protecting the NHS’ helped much either with cancer diagnosis, outcomes and waiting times as a backlog built up.
I don’t like to speak ill of Macmillan as they were outstanding throughout my sister’s nightmare time at the hands of the local hospital. However I wish they and many others in the medical profession had spoken out during the lock down era.
It just seemed inevitable to me that there would be a huge backlog, and if they were unable to cope before is it any wonder things have hit crisis point.
February 12, 2024
Review of MoDās diversity policies ordered by āfuriousā Grant Shapps. Defence secretary rejects idea of lowering security clearances for overseas recruits to boost inclusivity as āwoke nonsenseā
But the whole racist recruitment on diversity grounds is dangerous and pure evil Grant, but you have been Defence Sec for nearly 6 months & the Tories have been in power for 13+ years. It is the Con-Socialist who have been pushing this dangerous lunacy. Perhaps you should resign for not knowing what was going on. It has been clear for years – āno more useless white males for pilotsā was it not get me some black, pregnant, one legged women with a few mental health issues please – far more suitable.
February 12, 2024
If Shapps has done that, I’ll salute his ACTION – and suggest that he takes the too-little-used podium at No 10 to announce the ACTION that he has taken. Penny Mordaunt is right about the government’s ‘communications’ – it is, if I might choose my own word, s………………………………………….ub-optimal.
February 12, 2024
In other news, Lifelogic hits the 50% target today ( 4 out of 8 posts).
Whether this is all due to his own efforts or lack of interest from other posters we can only speculate.
February 12, 2024
I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment on the ludicrous anti-white recruitment drives.
Is it any wonder many of our own young men see little to no reason to offer their services.
The Armed Forces should not be seen by those abroad as a springboard into being given permanent residency here for themselves and extended family.
Had successive governments not set out to alienate the vast majority from their history/culture and preach of its past as being nothing but evil, they likely wouldn’t have so much trouble recruiting.
Had successive governments not emasculated our young men to the extent they have, we might not have such trouble recruiting.
The Armed Forces used to be an excellent institution for many working class boys (and girls) who might otherwise flail around aimlessly and/or end up in trouble.
February 12, 2024
@Lifelogic – All diversity, exclusivity & equalities (DIE) projects are based on Discrimination first, then well down the list is suitability for purpose.
We have a World were every one is born equal and as far as our species goes is part of the human, the added beauty is we start as individuals. Then we get the Socialist ‘clap trap’ that some have to be treated more equal than others, those that don’t buy into the socialist line of all agreeing with their dictator first must be brought into line – you are only equal if you agree with me and are in my image. On and on the list of this Conservative Governments Socialist in indoctrination goes- we must never forget that it is our Parliament, our HoC our MPs that in modern times invented ‘discrimination’ and have maintained ‘discrimination’ on the UK’s Statute.
You point on the so-called Minister, like so many how did he get the job?
February 12, 2024
Not content with trying to go back to 1853-56 (the Crimean War), now it seems Defence wants to carry on by going back to 1857. Peccavunt.
February 12, 2024
Having one retired dentist in the family and being a patient of one of the best dentists and practices in the UK, I have some experience of what good dentistry is and what the problem with NHS dentistry is.
Dentists wish to give the best possible service to their patients to ensure lifelong healthy teeth. HMG wants a mediocre service done as cheaply as possible. HMG get what they pay for, nada, and those who cannot afford private insurance or just don’t care develope early rotting teeth that become an emergency for the NHS. In addition HMG choose to appease their friends in our lobbying food and drinks industry to ensure children get an overdose of sugar in their early years, creating a dental problem that never gets solved.
The answer is first educate the public via school, the internet and TV. Second, pay dentists commesurate with the private sector and the training they have been given. Third, train very many more dentists. Fourth, legislate against what babies and children currently put in their mouths. Then in ten years you might see the problem begin to melt away.
February 12, 2024
Legislate what kids put in their mouth- total commie thinking! Do not stand for parliament Agricola, we must keep a free thinking country!
February 12, 2024
+1
February 12, 2024
Bullshit MFD. It makes more sense to prevent than to cure unnecessary disease. It makes no sense to allow the food industry to cause the problem you are intent on preventing, commie or rabid tory. Is it commie to make it mandatory to wear a seat belt in a car to minimise injury in an accident. Common sense is not the property any political thinking.
February 12, 2024
Is there much else for a HS to do other than provide healthcare ( including dentistry)?
VERY interesting point if youāve got raging toothache.
February 12, 2024
The Health Service generates piles and piles of paperwork as dictated by the GMC, GDC, and CQC, regulatory overkill, and all of it time consuming and much or most of it altogether unnecessary.
It gums up the works, like your inefficiency of the rail system, Sir John.
Remember the days of ‘Work to Rule”, that threat of inaction second only to full strike action?
Regulatory overkill is the legitimised version of ‘work to rule’.
The Regulatory bodies, and the quango, the CQC, have added a great burden to what was once the flow and provision of clinical practice. This is the practical sargasso sea of enmeshing impediments, typical of quangos, and coming under the heading in many people’s minds as admin. It is more than admin.
Be in no doubt, the CQC is despised and feared by almost all because its remit is an ever present threat to the reputations of the lowliest of clinical staff to the highest echelons of consultants and management and to the very clinics and hospitals in which they work.
When the CQC was stood down during the covid months great was the relief throughout the system, a system which could function more effectively and with focus on health provision rather than defensive distractions of protocols of no proven value.
February 12, 2024
The government needs to act quickly to clear the log-jam of overseas-trained dentists awaiting clearance from the GDC to practise here. It was one of your own backbenchers – a dentist trained in New Zealand – who exposed this problem. And I’d suggest that the NHS should be taking leases out on some of the many high-street shops standing empty, equipping them as dental surgeries, and even securing accommodation above the shops for the staff, would be a popular innovation. But get a businessman, or a company like Vision Express, in to run the project.
I’m off to Google ‘the best dental schools in the world’ – and almost know which countries will be filling the top slots, and which won’t.
P.S. A dental surgery wanting NHS patients opened a few hundred yards from me last year. Annoyed at being ripped-off by my private dentist, I popped over to register and was promised that I would be called in. Eight months later? I’m still waiting, despite reminding them. You have had 14 years to fix this problem!
February 12, 2024
What are the ādividendsā? šš¤£
February 12, 2024
“Wokingham has a fast-growing population based on”…… immigration.
Perhaps Sir John could ask the Home Office how many of the 1.2 million immigrants they imported legally last year are qualified dentists.
February 12, 2024
Don’t worry, if they’re not dentists, than they’re either doctors or engineers
February 12, 2024
Glen
Given past results of so called security screening.
It’s not Doctors or engineers we need to worry about, it’s terrorists, drug barons or others with a criminal record we should worry about.
February 12, 2024
+1
February 12, 2024
Or potential Generals or MPs – even PMs!
February 12, 2024
Less than 50,000 had gold visas the rest of the 1.2 million have to be subbed by the 46% of English taxpayers. Recent Government data reveals that 1.6 million people between 16 and 64 (working age) not born here are on benefits of one description or another. About half from the EU. Remember under this Governments mass immigration policy all entitled to bring their families once settled. A giant exploding population Ponzi time bomb. Our Cities are now lost the Uni-Party must go to save our Country, culture, heritage and remove the non Equality anti Englishmen legislation. The DIE and ESG legislation is killing our economy. Who wants to invest here under those mad rules……..They wonder why the Footsie 100/250 isn’t rising like the rest of the world. Wokeness has no place in the investing world, just merit, quality goods/services that people want and profits. We need a return to common sense and a meritocracy. We need REFORM.
February 12, 2024
Donna,
Only 2,700 were golden visas out of 1.2 million!. The brightest and best. The rest low paid welfare claimant dross.
February 12, 2024
Itās a total fantasy.
Make believe.
Whoever says that Net Zero is doable ( including their 15 minute ghettos) is reading from a science fiction novel or a copy of The Eagle.
And of course, donāt forgetā¦drugs and anaesthetics used in dentistry are all VERY UNGREEN!
So I daresay that comes into calculations.
We are suffering all this so our leaders can strut their stuff on the international scene.
But are China and India listening?
February 12, 2024
A visiting primary schools system should provide a basic check free for all children which could then mark those needing urgent or near-urgent care. The information would allow better systems to be set up to only provide service to younger children – a triage of sorts.
February 12, 2024
We don’t have enough translators to implement a scheme like that
February 12, 2024
It must grind your teeth to be told āitās a very interesting pointā to a concern around overbuilding of houses in one local area without appropriate services, like schools, healthcare, roads.
It does appear pretty poor where a body responsible for joined up thinking, where each aspect has entire departments to manage it, canāt do so.
Iāve worked with apprenticeships and recent graduates conducting impact analysis and supply chain analysis who could display more joined up thinking than the one given by the Secretary of State in her response.
Is this what counts as reasoned discourse in government? Or a more pertinent question, is the aforementioned Secretary of State competent?
February 12, 2024
The dental contract that screwed everything up was written by Labour, Blair admitted he made a mistake, however, you have had ample time to sort this out. Lots of dentists are retiring early, I know one soon who is finished aged 55. When you block training routes, which I donāt understand because university in courses that donāt lead to a job cost the same in tuition fees as medical degrees which in Scotland are mostly four years. Were your government hoping that an organisation like Specsavers or Boots Eyecare would step into dentistry? Perhaps you should ask them why they havenāt because frankly the NHS couldnāt run a whelk stall.
It seems that there are several private large cosmetic procedure dentists have sprouted up, even in poor areas, where you can get your teeth whitened on the tick but weāre told people canāt get a filling. For a Valentineās Day special get your partner to buy you a teeth straightening package or teeth whitening for that glowing kiss of appreciation. š
Donāt all dental plan dentists offer under 18ās free if the parents are insured at the practice? I thought they all did that.
February 12, 2024
Victoria Atkins expresses interest in having an āapproachā.
NHS dentistry is stretched beyond wafer thin throughout the land. Even access to private may involve months of wait and Ā£150 charged for a mere check-up.
Wokingham deserves its proper share, yet sharing an immense shortage adds virtually nothing while deducting still more from elsewhere.
February 12, 2024
The provision of extra NHS dental surgeries is just another example of the true cost of building millions of houses we would not need if our population growth was under control.
Where are the extra Dentists, Doctors, and nurses going to come from, let alone the building workers who will not only have to construct the new houses, but build the dental and doctor’s surgeries, hospitals, schools, shops, roads and all the other necessary infrastructure? The answer to that question is likely to be that they will not be built and the services for those of us already here will deteriorate even further.
Politicians need to get migrant numbers firmly under control, and very quickly. If they don’t, not only will taxes have to be raised even higher, but there will no workers available to deliver the ruinously expensive green agenda all parties are now committed to delivering.
February 12, 2024
The answer to the intervention might just as well have been āblah, blah, blahā.
Face it, Mr. Redwood, your government is hopeless. You have one policy and one policy only – mass immigration to generate a bit of growth in the hope that youāll get more tax to keep up with the borrowing. Everything has gone to pot – the NHS, education, the roads, the railways, the police, defence, the utilities – please, please, please just call an election and go.
February 12, 2024
Well well, and who do you think will do any better! It certainly will not be Labour or Liberal!
We need to be rid of the party rule system.
February 12, 2024
You must realise how depressing that is – vote for a useless government because the only viable alternative is more useless.
Iād like everyone to boycott voting at the General Election – a real None of the Above message. Alas, it will never happen because you vote from fear.
February 12, 2024
You imply that the lack of NHS dentistry is because of extra people moving in to an area. It isnāt. There is a lack in areas with stable populations too. I assume it is because they can make more money in the private sector. How do other countries in Europe handle the problem ? By having public/private insurance-based schemes I suppose so no way the Conservatives would dare do that.
February 12, 2024
The planning for additional GPs, dentists, schools etc should have been done long ago, along side the plans for new homes in towns like Wokingham.Now these new homes are nearing completion where are these vital additional health and education services?
February 12, 2024
I hav3 been posting here for many years under “Chris S”
Would it not be sensible for you to choose a different user name to avoid confusion ?
February 12, 2024
The dentist I have been using has now opted out of NHS work. Finding an NHS replacement is proving more than difficult. Might Victoria be encouraged to offer a connected and joined-up approach between patients and health?
February 12, 2024
Is Victoria Atkins being serious ? John Redwoods
‘s comment is not ” interesting ” – it is fundamental – if not existential.
” I think it could bring dividends to us all ” This is a strange and facile comment. Why use dividends when a more appropriate word would be benefits. Access to regular dental treatment and check-ups is a well proven way of
improving citizen’s oral and general health – something that HMG should be striving for everywhere – not just in Wokingham.
PS I suspect the %”age of Wokingham’s residents who use private dentistry is very high , far above the national average – which as a result would mean there is less pressure on NHS dentists in the area already.
February 12, 2024
Ian J
I can assure you that Wokingham has exactly the same problem with a lack of NHS dentists as anywhere else.
February 13, 2024
Are there any left? I think mine might have been the last but decided last year to switch to monthly payment membership.
February 12, 2024
Hang on, are they telling us that they were not doing this already? Are they thick?!
February 12, 2024
Obviously “they ” are thick and no- they have not already been doing it. Hence the lack of NHS dentists
throughout England and Wales. It would be a useful FOI request to ask how many ( and what %’age )
of households have private cover for dental treatments or pay their own way in England and Wales.
Scotland’s figures may be better , N. Ireland’s are likely to be the worst.
February 12, 2024
Could we set up a separate medical & dentist centre for refugee and immigrants ā¦and leave the NHS GPs & dentists for NHS health card carrying indigenous citizens
February 12, 2024
Better still, stop taking our money for poor or non-existant services and let us buy our own
February 12, 2024
Bingo!!
However I believe that the BMA took steps to prevent competition a very long time ago
There should be doctors in every High Street allowing folk to choose the nicest, kindest, cleverest.
Oh whoops! No High Streetsā¦Mr Gove continuing the transformation of shops into houses.
Swords to ploughsharesā¦shops to houses.
The former ends conflict ā¦the latter ends life.
February 13, 2024
Do you mean for this year’s immigrants and refugees, or the 10 million over the last decade?
February 12, 2024
Bloomberg reports that the German industrial economy is now coming to an end to save the planet from the rapidly rising CO2.
The question is who will save the EU next time there is a crisis. With no deep pockets left in the EU now the UK has left then the EU will fall into a deep depression and history will repeat itself.
I can only predict a slump in taxation and a rise in market economics will kill the socialist dream and bring a underbelly of disgruntled poor supporting which ever candidate promises a utopia no matter have unethical it is.
February 12, 2024
Very dangerous times. Collapse of another German Reich and theyāre longed for āempireā – the EU. The political class bet everything on collapsing Russia and snatching her commodities, profitable trade is never enough for a thief. The EU has sucked EUROPE dry, it needs a new āhostā. Thatās why there is no reverse gear. All that sunk cost – they have to hope that Russia will be delivered to Ursula on a plate by any means.
Like the gambler at any racecourse, the more they lose the more they have to go on to āget back what is lostā, and the more desperate each gamble the less chance of picking a winner.
Gamblers eventually lose everyone elseās money – to misquote a great lady.
February 12, 2024
Computer changed ātheirā for ātheyāreā twice. AI is a disaster even in small insignificant things.
February 13, 2024
Eminent French historian/intellectual, Emmanuel Todd,in a widely reported interview with Le Figaro,in January 2023:-
“the resistance of the Russian economy (to sanctions) is pushing the American imperial system towards the precipice……if Russia manages to exhaust the European economy,while maintaining Chinese backing,American monetary and financial controls on the world would collapse and with them the possibility for the US to fund their huge trade deficit for nothing………No more than Russia,America cannot withdraw from the conflict,they cannot let go.”
February 12, 2024
Victoria Atkins should be congratulated on providing a sufficiently tepid answer so as to not having awoken the few somnolent members in the Chamber at the time.
The NHS abandoned providing dental services long before they abandoned proving GP services and private dental care is far too expensive for most people to afford. Furthermore,
English dentists appear to be even rarer than English doctors.
February 12, 2024
What an absolutely stupid non-answer to your question.
Labour fouled up both GPs and Dentists with their reorganisation to the effect that dentists are paid a single sum within one of three bands irrespective of the number of treatments, such as fillings, that they perform within each band. Everybody deserves to be paid for the work they do and this is simply not happening with NHS dentists.
It would appear now that 6-monthly check-ups with NHS dentists have now been changed to an annual check-up presumably to save money and to get more patients attended to.
February 12, 2024
miami
Indeed because they are paid a lump sum, they only find one problem to treat at a time, next time you go they find another one, so collect another flat rate fee, and so it goes on.
Thus you make a number of separate visits over a time period (when one should have been enough) and they get a payment each time for check up, and then subsequent treatment.
not the solution anyone wants but:
Where there is a will and a pool system there is a way, and where there is a way there is money to be made.
Thus a government policy makes treatment less efficient than it should be.