Police forced to intervene and send people home as hundreds queue for appointments at new practice in St Pauls, Bristol

Not many people are, in fact, entitled to free dental treatment and even treatment with an NHS dentist can be expensive.

Smileless2012

What I don't understand is why people were queuing for more than one day. The surgery knew how many NHS patients they could take on, so why not give cards to those who would receive a place so they could come back to register, and notify the others that unfortunately there were no places left?

Seems unkind to allow people to queue for hours to no avail.

I think they were giving them numbered tickets but more and more people kept turning up as they heard about it.

Yes Sarnia is right if the dentists train through the NHS I think 5 years is reasonable to ask - otherwise the tax payers being taken for mugs yet again. I did find it upsetting to see all those desperate people in Bristol . Just wanting a dentist .

What I don't understand is why people were queuing for more than one day. The surgery knew how many NHS patients they could take on, so why not give cards to those who would receive a place so they could come back to register, and notify the others that unfortunately there were no places left?

Seems unkind to allow people to queue for hours to no avail.

I'm not sure what the government can do. They don't really seem to have much power these days. I know how debilitating it is to suffer with tooth pain. I suffered for 4 years constantly when a dentist bungled a routine clean up. I still suffer sensitivity to this day and now dread dental appointments but would dread even more not being able to find one

Albangirl14- i am presuming that they still would be cleaning and also clean wether its private or NHS patients?

this will be what the GP service will be like if Tories get in again, Tories don't want to pay for what they see as other people's health care, they believe tax is too high because of that so they've been running down the health service to force people to go private.
I am furious cos they didn't even have the courtesy to put that in their manifesto cos they knew it would loose them votes.
They deserve every punishment they're going to get at the next election.

The dentists should be made to take on a certain percentage of NHS patients wether they like it or not- and in meantime and we have to pay for private treatment then it should be refunded back to those of us who are eligible for free NHS treatment by the government.

Due to Covid Dentists saw far less patients due to having to clean so much between each one . The NHS pays per filling etc so they lost a lot of money and many went Private . Who can blame them?

Whitewavemark2

Labour would renegotiate the Dentists NHS contract - in particular the unit payment, which this government appears to have a tin ear about.

This has been going on for over 30 years now and not much better under Labour either.

In 2006 a new contract was being forced on NHS dentists and many left the NHS to go privately. Some towns, including ours, were left without an NHS dentist for a long time.

It was the LHB which set up a new practices.

The Labour Party missed a trick by not highlighting the lack of NHS dentists a long time ago and promising to resolve the situation, even though I’m pretty sure it was always going to be part of their agenda.

Labour would renegotiate the Dentists NHS contract - in particular the unit payment, which this government appears to have a tin ear about.

The cap on dental students needs to be removed to increase the numbers in training. Fewer than 1,000 dental school places are available each year. That is not enough.

But not all.

Chardy

Didn't many dentists rise up 20 years ago, and leave the NHS? Because of new contracts? Certainly that was my experience.

Yes they did.

Cabowich

I was at the dentists yesterday (still NHS thank goodness). While waiting, I heard the receptionist tell someone on the phone that no, she couldn't make an appointment as she hadn't seen the dentist in over 2 years so she was no longer an NHS patient. A bit abrupt - I think she got an abrupt reply back!

That's my husband also off the NHS patient list, then - someone who only went when he needed to. It's all so wrong.

It’s not really Cabowich, your husband who only goes when there’s a problem is taking up a place on the nhs list which could be given to someone who will be a regular patient. Nhs dentists have to have a cutoff point, otherwise it’s not fair on those patients on the waiting list .

Didn't many dentists rise up 20 years ago, and leave the NHS? Because of new contracts? Certainly that was my experience.

The piece on the news showing the queue of people trying to register for which is their right, reminds me of the similar piece i watched a while back on people in the USA queueing to see doctors who were giving their time freely to people who couldn’t afford health care.

This is the Tory plan laid bare.

What has happened with dentistry should be a warning if where we are heading with all other areas of health care. It is the thing edge of the wedge. The changes to contracts drove dentists out of the NHS and into private practice. The same thing is happening with doctors and nurses. Their pay and conditions are constantly being eroded so they throw the towel in and move to the private sector. Waiting lists grow, more people pay to go private. The NHS provision continues to shrink but the government will insist that it fully supports the NHS but that is the patients choice to pay for an alternative. They will maintain that it is nothing to do with funding. It's gaslighting the whole population.

Welcome to the NHS 2024.

From the Telegraph this morning:

“ DENTISTS will be paid “golden hellos” of £20,000 to move to rural areas where there is a shortage of NHS appointments under plans announced by the health service today.

Lump sums will be offered to 240 dentists willing to relocate to “dental deserts” where patients cannot access care.

Dentists will also be paid up to £50 for every NHS patient they see who has not had an appointment in the past two years. The latest figures suggest this is more than half of England – around 30 million people.

Patients, meanwhile, will be forced to pay more for a check-up, with the minimum price set to increase from £23 to £28 unless they are exempt.

There are around 2,300 people for every dentist in England, but they are not evenly distributed around the country.”

I also have lost all my teeth due to Sjogrens Syndrome, an auto immune disease. Luckily it happened before Covid and I managed to have my treatment on the NHS . I have not seen a dentist since 6 months after I received my dentures as they closed down and another dentist bought the practice but they were private only. If I now want to see a dentist I will have to go privately and the cost is absolutely astronomical.

Nearly two decades ago it was said that there would be a shortage, due to retirement and the amount of female G.Ps and dentists working part time due to childcare needs.

No wonder people get cynical about government.

Nothing done until election year.

It is disgusting.

GrannyGravy13

This is from the BBC website, looks like the Government is doing something regarding English dentistry.

Oh, we'll await with bated breath!

Does anyone else remember school dentists?