A dentist who was denied an NHS contract and switched to the private sector now charges less for treatment.
Andrew Brown, who runs the Grappenhall Dental Practice in Cheshire, was told he would have to run a private clinic because of a lack of funds at the local primary care trust 18 months ago.
‘I assumed I was going to stay NHS but the PCT decided they couldn’t afford me an NHS contract,’ he told the Warrington Guardian. ‘They were forcing me to go private which I didn’t want to do and my patients didn’t want me to do.’
A check up on the NHS currently costs £15.90, while Andrew’s practice charges £12.50.
‘I have just recruited another like-minded dentist because we were so over-subscribed,’ he said. ‘The problem is that a lot of people who really need treatment are exempt from NHS charges.
‘I can’t take them because I won’t get the money back from the PCT. But if you would normally pay then you can come to us. I was very willing to stay on the NHS but the PCT wouldn’t allow me.’
