Dentists, taxes, WTF?!

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This may not be news to most but my girlfriend had the following phone conversation with a dental practice today:

GF:are you taking on new NHS patients?

Dentist: yes and no, we are taking on new NHS patients if they are entitled to free NHS treatment, if they are still at schol or are on benefits. If you are in full time employment we could only take you on as a private patient.

GF: so you are saying that even though i work, full time, pay my NI and taxes, i cant get NHS treatment.

Dentist:yes

Can anyone defend this indefensible nonsense?

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

I mean, she is suffering from very painful wisdom teeth that require £300 worth of care which she simply cannot afford on her £6.50 p/hr temp worker's wage. This is stupid no?

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

Yup. Tell her to keep looking - there are dentists out there who will take her as an NHS patient.

― Markelby (Mark C), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 14:15 (twenty years ago)

My Denplan dentist has just told me I have to have a wisdom tooth out, fuxors! Still that sucks DL!!

― PinXorchiXoR (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 14:37 (twenty years ago)

She may have found someone who can do it cheap, still it sucks. I've never been one to rail (too much) against the amount of tax we have in Britain (even though it's stupendously high but surely this is a matter of priority? I guess post-election it's a little unfashionable to talk about this kind of thing, but still it's really knocked me back about how stupidly this country is run. And the common solution is "kick em out" or to make single mums work harder, which I don't believe would help anything. Matey's still going to have his two Jags and this crap'll still be going on. Makes me wonder where that 5th of my wage packet goes every month.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 14:46 (twenty years ago)

it'll get better soon when they start using lottery money to pay for this stuff... (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4090900.stm - "But he insisted that under the proposed changes, such decisions would be made by the Big Lottery Fund.". yes, and they'll also be very wary of pissing off the people who hand out their licence to print money every 7 years, grrr)

i lucked out with dentists earlier this year when one of my teeth fell apart. nobody was taking on nhs patients in the area so i booked a private appointment at dentist nearest me. 40 something pounds and a temporary filling later dentist said i could sign on with the nhs dentist in the same surgery rather than continue with him. only 5 minutes from my house too. woot!

― koogs (koogs), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 14:58 (twenty years ago)

Why are the NHS so reluctant to treat things like backs and teeth? Surely they're some of the most important parts of the human body and excruciatingly painful if damaged?

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 15:04 (twenty years ago)

BTW guys just to let you know updat i have found an NHS dentist who will take me on, oh happy days i will get these blighters out of my mouth cause damn they hurt bad, then i can stop moaning at charlie...

― battlingspacemonkey (battlingspacemonkey), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 15:05 (twenty years ago)

yes, dl, i agree. always wondered why employers will provide medical insurance but not dental. smoking and alcohol related disease = subsidised, sugar related = not 8)

> (sugarjunkie51@...)

ha ha

― koogs (koogs), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 15:24 (twenty years ago)

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