We are determined to fight the corner for this profession, following the Chancellor’s decision to call on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to launch an investigation into the pricing of private dentistry.
In a letter to the watchdog Rachel Reeves said: "the scourge of hidden costs, lack of transparency and overtreatment has blighted families in need of dental treatment for too long. That’s why I want to see urgent action taken to help reduce prices, whilst the cost of living still puts pressure on families across the country.”
Private practices have had to cover significant increases in overheads following the Chancellor's first budget, with surging costs across the piece. Over the last 4 years we estimate private fees have increased at an average of 13.8% - when costs of delivering care have increased by as much in a single year. Cumulative inflation for the period 2021 to date stands at 24.5%.
Private dentistry is never one size fits all, and there is clearly no scope for a ‘national tariff’. The reality is private dentistry needs to operate to market forces, with prices that cover the costs of delivering treatment, often using techniques and materials unavailable on the NHS.
While expressing concern over the cost of living, this move looks like a fig leaf for the Chancellor’s failure to properly fund NHS care. Not a penny of new investment has been pledged to support the rebuild of NHS dentistry, with a petition backed by over 120,000 delivered to Government last week, pressing on Ministers to fill the £1.5bn hole in the budget required to support promised reform and restore care to millions.
A generation of savage cuts have left typical NHS practices delivering treatments like dentures and bridges at a financial loss. We told the Public Accounts Committee earlier this year that loss-making NHS services were being kept afloat by a cross subsidy from private work of over £330m.
“This call for an investigation is utterly perverse,” says BDA Chair Eddie Crouch.
“The Chancellor is singling out private dentists for doing what any business does: covering their costs, some of which are of the Chancellor's own making.
“At the same time, she’s very happy to starve NHS services of vital funding.
“We’d remind her that profits from private care are all that are keeping NHS dentistry afloat.”
The CMA is said to be ‘exploring the merits’ of an inquiry. We have already written to the watchdog and will be closely monitoring developments. We will speak up for the many thousands of dentists in both private and mixed practice delivering high quality care.