NHS dental surgery fees in Northamptonshire jump by nearly £50 on average in space of five years

In Northamptonshire, the cost of NHS dental surgery has risen by as much as 15 per cent in five years.
The cost of dental surgery under the NHS in Northamptonshire is reportedly rising above inflation in the last five years. Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images.The cost of dental surgery under the NHS in Northamptonshire is reportedly rising above inflation in the last five years. Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images.
The cost of dental surgery under the NHS in Northamptonshire is reportedly rising above inflation in the last five years. Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images.

An investigation has revealed the cost of dental surgery under the NHS in Northamptonshire has jumped nearly 15 per cent in five years.

It comes with a warning from dentists that people are 'abandoning' vital NHS dental treatments because they cannot afford the rising fees.

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Six million bills of £100 or more have been handed to UK patients in the past five years, totalling more than £1.3bn, JPIMedia Investigations can exclusively reveal.

In Northamptonshire, the cost of NHS dental surgery has risen by as much as 15 per cent in five years.

In fact, figures that although the total costs for surgery rose from £2.4m to £2.75m since 2015, the actual number of surgeries each year has fallen - meaning less work is being done for higher costs.

And a trip to NHS dental services in Northamptonshire could now cost as much as £50 more compared to 2015.

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It comes after the Government this week announced an end to the fee freeze for dentistry in England.

From December 14th, fees for all dental treatment bands will increase by an above inflation five per cent in England.

President of the Oral Health Foundation, Dr Ben Atkins, said he has had “quite a few patients” fail to show up for treatment or even disappear halfway through a course of appointments.

He said: “We’ve had people just disappearing and that’s the problem. They will book in for a treatment and then not turn up because they don’t have the money for it.”

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Dr Atkins said help was out there for patients who do not qualify for free treatment, but he suspected people did not know where to find this.

“It is wholly unacceptable for dental charges to continue rising above the rate of inflation.

“Sustained price hikes are making dentistry less affordable for the population and there is a real danger that more people are not able to access the care they need.

“We are highly concerned that this will mean more people avoid regular dental check-ups, which could lead to any number of diseases and conditions being missed and undiagnosed.

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“Gum disease, tooth decay and mouth cancer can all be treated and managed if caught quickly. The consequences of late diagnosis can be life-threatening.

“Young people, families on lower incomes, and the elderly are all at risk of being alienated. The Government must be working to encourage people towards NHS dentistry, not driving them away.”

While NHS dental treatment is free for children and people on low incomes across the UK, for those who have to pay the cost can be in the hundreds.

In England, patients have had to pay Band 3 bills some 4.6m times since 2015/16, totalling £1.1bn.

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But 120,000 fewer people opted to undergo the costliest treatments in 2019/20, compared with five years ago – a 13% drop. The decrease is partly down to the pandemic as dental practices were closed and routine treatment was paused from March 25th to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Eddie Crouch, the chairman of the British Dental Association, which represents dentists, said charges “should never be a substitute for adequate state funding”.

He said: “Patient charges are designed to discourage attendance, and it’s exactly what they do best.”

The Department of Health and Social Care, which sets dental fees for England, said: “We want everyone to have access to high quality dental care.

“When setting dental fees, careful consideration is given to the need to ensure value for money for the NHS and affordability for patients.”