Going to the dentist is something that many would want to avoid – but how about if you also faced a penalty fine?
More than 40,000 people a year in England are getting fines of £100 – from an automated system that dentists say is hitting the most vulnerable.
They warn that people such as dementia sufferers are unfairly getting caught up in a system meant to stop fraudsters from getting free treatment.
The NHS accepts there is a problem with errors and is promising changes.
The fines, about £4m per year, are being applied by a random screening process that checks on whether people going to the dentist are really eligible for free treatment.
But dentists say rising numbers of people with dementia, or those with learning difficulties, are being unfairly fined for something as simple as ticking a wrong box in confusing paperwork.
When these have been challenged, about 90% have been overturned as having been incorrectly applied.
The British Dental Association says the problem seems to be increasing and with an ageing population is only likely to get worse.
The NHS Business Services Authority, which oversees the fining system, accepts there is a problem and is looking for a way to make improvements.
A spokeswoman says no-one wants vulnerable people to be unfairly fined or for dentists to waste valuable clinical time.
The checks have an important role in making sure free treatment isn’t being unfairly accessed by those who should pay.
The screening system compares what people have put on forms at the dentist against two databases of information about benefits and entitlements – and if these do not match, the fining system generates a penalty notice.
The most recent figures suggest almost 120,000 fines have been issued over the past three years.
But the British Dental Association says when 30,000 of these fines were checked, almost 90% were overturned, suggesting the scale of the error in the system.
- The NHS says it will run a national awareness-raising campaign, so people will have a much better understanding of who is entitled to free dental treatment
- There are plans for simpler forms and clearer information, particularly for vulnerable patients
“We want to make sure that patients, particularly those who struggle with literacy, understand if they are entitled to receive free dental treatment or if they should pay,” says a NHS Business Services Authority spokeswoman.
“We recognise the importance of information and access to it for everyone.”
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