Dental Care Charges For Child Patients In Buckinghamshire

Thu, 02 Oct 2008

Children in Buckinghamshire could be charged for dental care or forced to travel long distances to an NHS 'super surgery' next year due to the way in which dental care is funded in the county.

Since April 2006, the Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) has referred to the number of units of dental activity (UDAs) carried out for funding of dental care, instead of by the number of patients on a surgery's list.

But according to local dental practices, this method could lead directly to reductions in children's treatments when dental contracts are renewed by the PCT in April 2009.

Mr Malcolm Brady, principal dentist with Pond House practice in Chalfont St Giles said that his practice treats some 450 children on the NHS .

However, he explained that current funding methods could result in children no longer being treated for free at is surgery from next April (when his existing child contract with the PCT expires) as the number of UDAs he is allocated each year is not sufficient to cover all treatments .

"We had a child-only contract with the PCT and we have tried each year to increase our UDAs, because discrepancies occur," he explained.

"For example, as far as our computer is concerned, we have over-performed on our allocated treatments, but their estimate is that we have underperformed, so they have taken money back."
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