Watchdog claims confusion over fees is putting patients on benefits off going to the dentist in Wales
A watchdog has claimed that confusion over fees is putting patients who are on benefits off going to dentist in Wales.
Community Health Councils in Wales suggests that many people who claim benefits are avoiding going to the dentist because they don’t know what kinds of treatments and services are available to them. The watchdog has called for the process to be simplified to enable patients to get a better understanding of whether they’re entitled to claim free dental care, and to make it clearer which services are covered by the NHS.
According to CHCs in Wales, the current system is too complicated, and this is resulting in some patients who are entitled to free care missing out on valuable dental services. There are also fears that patients are worried about risking a £100 fine, which can be applied if the claim form contains errors or mistakes.
Speaking on the Sunday Politics programme, a representative from CHCs said that a number of patients had contacted the body in recent months after receiving a fine for making genuine mistakes when filling in the claim form. The fines tend to be targeted at people on low incomes, and many have suffered severe stress as a result of receiving letters and being unable to pay.
Lawrence Thomas was sent a letter with details of a £100 fine he was expected to pay after claiming free treatment, which he believed he was entitled to as part of his Employment Support Allowance. At the time of the dental appointment, he claimed free treatment unaware that there were two different types of ESA. Weeks later, he received a fine, and said that he was made to feel like a criminal who had deliberately tried to cheat the system.
The watchdog is now appealing to the government to make the process more straightforward in a bid to make care more accessible and eliminate fines sent to people who have made honest mistakes.
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