Dentists warn of NHS appointment crisis amid funding U-turn

Some dentists fear they will run out of budget to treat NHS patients by next month

Thousands of people could struggle to get a dental appointment due to a withdrawal of proposed NHS funding.

Some dentists who treat patients on the NHS say they were told they can do 10% more work this financial year because of a shortage of other NHS practices.

But last month, the NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICB) in the West Midlands changed their minds.

The ICB said the decision had been taken as a result of financial pressures in the NHS elsewhere.

Vijay Sudra, who runs a dental practice in Shard End, Birmingham, told the BBC the change meant he would have to stop seeing NHS patients from February because the budget would run out.

He said: "I am not sure how I am supposed to work for the last six weeks of the year if there is no funding.

"The most frustrating thing is that the patients who most need treatment won't get it because they can't afford private dentistry."

Vijay Sudra says the lack of funding for NHS patients is "frustrating"

One of his patients, Martin Heath, is on universal credit and has been looking for an NHS dentist for four years.

Mr Heath was quoted £120 for treatment and had been in pain for four months with a hole that needed filling.

Many dentists have already switched to private practice and stopped doing NHS work, resulting in an underspend of £450m in the NHS's dental budget.

Martin Heath, who is on universal credit, said trying to get an appointment had been a "nightmare"

"We are the Cinderella service and overspends in other areas of the health service mean that they come and rob us of the money we have to treat our patients. For patients in the West Midlands that's awful," said Eddie Crouch, the chairman of the British Dental Association.

Riverdale Healthcare runs 12 practices across the Midlands.

Dental director Ian Gordon said the last-minute change was the equivalent of not treating 5,000 patients, or two dentists not working for a year.

"What we need to now do is close clinics or restrict access in areas with the most demand and physically move dentists from one site to another to try to deliver our contracts," he said.

Eddie Crouch, chair of the BDA, described dentistry as the "Cinderella service"

A spokesperson for the West Midlands Integrated Care Boards and the office of the West Midlands said they had to try to balance the books across the entire NHS.

They said: "As a result of the financial pressures across the NHS this year, all integrated care boards were asked to review their financial plans to ensure we reach as close to a break-even position as possible.

"This funding is discretionary and is not a mandated contractual requirement as part of the dental contract.

"It is critical that we weigh this decision against others and come to a balanced view that factors in the needs of all of our citizens as well as our finite resources."

He added: "We recognise this will be disappointing to dental colleagues and that we may need to support practices who are particularly affected.

"We remain committed to improving access to dental care across our communities and are looking forward to working more closely with dentists and our communities to deliver this."