Patients in Gloucestershire left in limbo in race to the bottom on NHS orthodontics
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 31st January 2019
Many children who have been waiting for years to start orthodontic treatment on the NHS may have to go to the back of the queue when their current provider loses their contract in a bidding war for the cheapest price, the British Dental Association (BDA) has warned.
In what dentist leaders believe is a taste of things to come across the country, hundreds of NHS patients in Gloucestershire will be left in limbo at the end of March as they wait to be referred to a new orthodontist in the latest round of retendering for orthodontic services.
The situation has been highlighted by BBC Gloucester who included an interview with Sam (not his real name) who had been bullied at school for teeth that ‘stuck out so much that they were at risk of snapping’. His mother said she was devastated by the change in services and the prospect of further delays – having waited already for two years – has forced her to consider paying privately for her son’s treatment.
The BDA has warned that families will soon face very long distances to travel if they don’t live near one the providers who secured the new contracts. Local NHS authorities in Gloucester have been unable to justify why so few providers would be delivering the orthodontic service for such a wide catchment.
The Association has deep concerns that similar experiences are likely to hit a growing number of families, as retendering of orthodontic services is happening across England.
BDA Vice Chair Eddie Crouch said:
“Since 2006, orthodontics providers have been subject to time-limited contracts, with the NHS at liberty to pull up the rug and procure services from other providers at cheaper rates.
“We are now seeing the impact this has on patients and practitioners alike.
“It’s a false economy, that is already causing huge disruption to young patients and their families, and which forces orthodontic providers to bid for contracts at an unrealistically low and unsustainable price.
“There are so many examples of this in public procurement, including the NHS: Capita anyone?”
