Yesterday I had a patient come in and ask me “why do I keep hearing dentists complaining on the news? Do you all just want more money?”
Today with the news that Bupa has decided to close 85 of its dental practices it shows that the situation is very serious and the government need to take it seriously if NHS dentistry is going to survive.
It is about money but not just that. Of course there is an element of money, a business needs to make a profit or it cannot survive, it cannot pay it’s staff, it cannot pay it’s bills and if it closes it cannot provide treatment for it’s patients.
We don’t want to just be another industry crying out for more money but it is a simple fact now that NHS dentistry often does not cover a practices overheads.
The other issue is the mountain of administration that goes along with it which you simply don’t have to provide if working privately. This didn’t used to be the case but as the NHS ask for more and more of your time doing administration for relatively less money the dentists have had enough. This makes recruiting dentists very difficult.
If a big company like Bupa cannot make it work, independent dentists don’t stand a chance.
This is the reason so many practices are now handing back their NHS contracts with even more thinking about it.
In Wales they are also changing things, trying to see more patients but at the expense of existing ones. Moving everybody to yearly recalls (or longer), whether that is clinically advised or not. There has never been a better time to stop holding on to your NHS place on principle or chasing after the NHS dentist position you long for. As hard as it is for dentists, who always want what is best for their patients, we simply cannot look after you the way we used to.
At Y Bont Faen Dental Centre our mission is to work in partnership with our patients to support them in their lifestyle, oral health, and well-being, to promote a lifetime of healthy smiles. This is becoming more difficult within the NHS system. We are hopeful for a brighter future but until then we do offer our membership plans, where you can pay monthly for all your preventative treatment and we can give you the care you and your family truly deserve.
We are accepting new patients and would love you to join our community.
For more information visit our website on www.ybontfaendental.com
