Added costs may drive NHS dentists into private practice

Published on Thursday 4 June 2009 21:50

NHS dentists may have to take on more private patients to meet the costs of running new decontamination units, it was claimed yesterday.

New standards for the facilities used to clean instruments in dental surgeries mean that practices will have to invest in equipment and use large rooms.

But Andrew Lamb, director of the British Dental Association (BDA) in Scotland, said the cost of running the units might mean some dentists having to make their NHS patients go private to increase funding.

His comments came as more than 4,000 people arrived for the start of the BDA conference in Glasgow.

The event, at the SECC, earlier heard from Margie Taylor, Scotland's chief dental officer, about their efforts to help practices prepare for the new standards.

Those surgeries who are able to expand are expected to comply by the end of the year, with more flexible timescales for others.

Ms Taylor said: "We know there are about 140 practices in Scotland who can't expand and need to do something completely different. We are looking at seeing what the options are.

"Some of them will be able to quite easily move or buy accommodation, but there are bound to be some who are just stuck.

"We have to find solutions to that because we don't want to put in jeopardy the services they are currently offering to their communities."

In the last financial year, the Scottish Government gave an additional 5 million for practice improvements, specifically aimed at decontamination.

Dr Lamb said: "We would hope that no dentists would have to close down and that the support will come from the Scottish Government to provide the facilities and the infrastructure and the ongoing revenue costs to allow them to continue.

"It's not in anybody's interests to have practices closing."