The British Dental Association has demanded that the Secretary of State for Health drop plans for a further four per cent increase in NHS charges in England next year.
In an open letter the professional body has warned millions are avoiding or delaying needed care, numbers which will only grow during the cost-of-living crisis.
The BDA has urged the department to abandon its long-term strategy of using charge revenue as a substitute for state investment, an approach no other UK nation has followed.
The letter states, “Crowns or dentures now cost £306.80 in England compared to £203.00 in Wales. You have a duty to explain to the public why patients in England must pay over £100 more for exactly the same NHS care.”
The 8.5 per cent increase is the largest on record, and greater than those recently set for both prescriptions (3.2 per cent) and eye tests (4.5 per cent). The letter notes, “at any time, such vast patient charge increases would be unacceptable. During a cost-of-living crisis we consider them utterly outrageous. They are well beyond the increases set for optics or pharmacy, and we must ask why our patients are being singled out.”
In March 2023, The Times reported Whitehall sources suggesting that a further four per cent increase is set for 2024. The BDA say this plan must be abandoned.
The association has stressed pledges to develop a new framework must be brought forward with urgency, and that a sustainable funding settlement must be in place to underpin the rebuilding of the service.