Summary
People trying to register as NHS dental patients at Lodge Causeway Dental Centre in Bristol complained they were told they must pay for a hygienist appointment before signing up. The practice admitted it offered the appointments but stated it was misunderstood as mandatory to register as NHS patients.
Key Facts
- Lodge Causeway Dental Centre held open days in September and October for new NHS patients.
- Patients claimed they were asked to pay £69 for a hygienist appointment to register.
- A patient named Alice Worthington said she paid the fee despite not needing the appointment.
- The dental practice reportedly saw 2,591 NHS patients but only conducted 108 hygienist appointments.
- The practice said payments for hygienist appointments were automatically set up and apologized for the confusion.
- NHS contracts do not allow refusal of NHS service if a patient declines additional paid services.
- Some patients waited in line for hours without initially being informed of the potential fee.
- The British Dental Association highlighted patients should not feel pressured to pay for extra services to access NHS care.
