News

Dentists call for NHS charge freeze as cost of living crisis bites

2 mins read Communication
​With inflation now at a 40-year high, the British Dental Association (BDA) has called on health secretary Sajid Javid to follow the precedent set with NHS prescriptions and freeze NHS dental charges for the foreseeable future.

Commenting at the time of the prescription freeze, Javid said, "The rise in the cost of living has been unavoidable… Whilst we cannot completely prevent these rises, where we can help, we absolutely will." In an open letter, dentist leaders are seeking the same principles to be applied to NHS dentistry.

Introduced in the early days of the NHS, charges were put in place explicitly to reduce demand for dentistry. One in five patients delay treatment for reasons of cost according to official data, and from 2012 to 2020 charges have risen annually at rates well above-inflation. In 2021 - for the first time since 2010 - there was no increase.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Dental Nursing and reading some of our resources. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Up to 2 free articles per month

  • New content available

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here