A health minister has come under fire for proposing charging patients a monthly £10 ‘insurance-style’ fee to access NHS dentistry.
Primary care minister Andrea Leadsom is said to have floated the idea at several round-table meetings held by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Officials invited patient groups and dentistry experts to discussions on how to solve the access crisis, sources told the Health Service Journal.
At one of the meetings, which were held in April, a potential rate of around £10 per month was mentioned, they said.
It was suggested this fee — equal to £240 a year for a couple — would entitle subscribers to regular check-ups and to some other inclusive dental care.
More than one in five people avoided going to the dentist because of cost in January 2024 — up significantly from 15 per cent just a year before
But the British Dental Association said the rate is more than some private insurers charge for cover and Labour said it would effectively be another tax rise.
It comes as some Britons have been forced to resort to DIY dentistry — pulling out their own teeth at home — after struggling to secure appointments in areas labelled ‘dental deserts’.
One source said Ms Leadsom compared the proposal to ‘pre-pay’ schemes that are used by some people who pay for prescription medicines on a long-term basis.
But the source pointed out it sounded more like a ‘health insurance’ style arrangement separate from the NHS, which would be difficult for some to afford.
One health source familiar with the proposal told the HSJ: ‘They are framing this as some kind of pre-payment or quid pro quo, but of course we already pay for the NHS through income tax, and in general that is a much more equitable way of doing it.’
They were concerned the government intended it to form part of future dental charging reform, they said.
Another said: ‘It would certainly be new ground for the NHS.’
Jacob Lant, chief executive of National Voices, which was among the organisations represented at the round-tables, said: ‘With far too many people already avoiding going to the dentist due to cost, we would urge for a significant expansion of eligibility for free NHS dental care.
‘This would help address a major barrier which is preventing people from accessing this vital preventative service.
‘Any proposals to change the existing charging structures and amounts would need serious analysis to ensure that existing health inequalities are not exacerbated.’
He highlighted recent survey evidence showing more than one in five people avoided going to the dentist because of cost in January 2024 — up significantly from 15 per cent just a year before.
Barry Cockcroft, who was England’s chief dental officer from 2005 to 2015, and was also present at the meetings as an independent expert still involved in dentistry, said: ‘It’s hard to see how it could be implemented, and it’s difficult to imagine how it would cope with people moving [between areas and practices].
‘There are so many imponderables it’s impossible to think it could ever be implemented.’
Shawn Charlwood, chair of the general dental practice committee at the British Dental Association, said: ‘If rumours are true, this would see government setting up a payment plan for NHS dentistry that’s more expensive than many private schemes.
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‘It wouldn’t offer a cure for under-investment, failed contracts or widening inequality.’
Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said: ‘Rishi Sunak must come clean about his secret plan to introduce charges for the NHS.
‘Sunak and his Conservative colleagues have previously proposed charging patients for GP appointments and admissions to A&E.
‘The public deserve to know what the Conservatives are planning for the NHS if they are given another five years.
‘Working people can’t afford another Tory tax rise.
‘Labour’s rescue plan will provide 700,000 extra emergency appointments, funded by clamping down on tax dodgers and non-doms, and restore NHS dentistry in long run.’