POLL: Have you seen a dentist in the last year?
Dental care in the isles was thrown into turmoil this week when a major practice announced it was de-registering NHS patients.
The decision by the Lerwick Dental Practice was met with shock, anger and dismay, some branding it “sickening” and a “disgrace”.
The health board revealed it had been under pressure, working at almost 50 per cent less capacity compared to pre-Covid workforce levels. However, 70 per cent of the population was registered with the service.
DR I M TINKLER
Health board-employed dentists cannot comment in the media, harsh confidentiality clauses prevent that. General Dental Practice dentists cannot comment, Dental Council ethics regulations prevent that.
However, as a retired dentist, I can comment.
The NHS dental contract is legally binding, break it and prosecution will follow, being struck off for life a real possibility. The rules are enforced most harshly, without exception. A registered patient is and must be treated on demand. That entails 24/7 emergency cover with no exclusions whatsoever (public holidays, weekends included) If the patient refuses treatment and fails to attend appointments and treatment for years, the emergency call-out rules still apply…
Treatments must provide full dental fitness and must be completed with dispatch. For this reason, there is a real limit to the number of patients a dentist can register, too many and however hard the dentist works his conditions of service cannot be met and severe disciplinary action will follow. That is why many dentists leave the Health Service and will/can not register new patients. That was my experience, a little dated now but I believe these rules still apply.