Recession forces Birmingham dentists back to NHS

Feb 25 2009 by Alison Dayani, Birmingham Post

Dentists who left the NHS over the controversial new contract are starting to come back with their tail between their legs because of the recession, it has emerged.

Ros Hamburger, consultant in dental public health for the region, said she has started to see a boost in the number of dentists wanting to rekindle their relationship with the National Health Service.

It comes as the economic downturn means people are thinking twice about paying for private treatment if they can get it cheaper as an NHS patient.

“Very few dentists completely left the NHS over the new contracts,” said Ms Hamburger.

“But as the credit crunch bites, many of those who left are coming back and asking for their contracts back.

“Some who left at the time said it wasn’t just economic reasons but they felt they couldn’t do the work they liked with the new contracts.”

Ms Hamburger, who was reporting to Birmingham’s Health Scrutiny Committee, added: “Some dentists will always be fed up. I remember one moaning to me, then driving off in his Porche.

“There is an assumption that NHS dentistry is hard to find but in fact, we have a lot of NHS dentists taking on new patients in Birmingham

“Figures from the Birmingham primary care trusts show 40 per cent of people are accessing an NHS dentist, which is quite a concern, but we have the capacity to see 60 per cent of the population.”