I’ve been de-listed by my NHS dentist with no warning – and I’m not alone

Last week, Gwyneth Rees reported on the queue that formed outside St Paul’s Dental Practice after it began accepting new patients – Ben Birchall/PA

There are few areas of my life about which I have reason to be smug, but I will confess that having an NHS dentist was one of them. While my friends across the South West, where I live, bemoaned having to pay private or having no dentist at all, I would sit quietly and think: “Well, I have one… ha!”

So I sympathise acutely with those who have found themselves booted off their dentist’s NHS lists with no warning – because it has happened to me. Practices across the country have cited non-attendance over a period of two years or more, that included lockdown, as the reason for “de-listing” some patients, according to The Observer, forcing me and a great many others to join the back of the ever-growing queue for an NHS slot.

I joined my Bristol practice in early 2018 after striking lucky when it still had free NHS places. Of course, I had to wait for months for an appointment, but at the several check-ups I had with my cheerful Polish dentist I was always told that my teeth were ship-shape. Such was my desire to stay with the practice that, even when I moved a 30 minutes’ drive away, I kept my registration. There were, after all, no NHS dentists in my new area.

In 2021, I cancelled an appointment because I had Covid – a decision not taken lightly. It is the only time in my life I have cancelled an NHS appointment; indeed, aware of how stretched their resources are, I have arguably visited the dentist less often than I ought. And then, what with the length of the pandemic, school strikes and work, the years ran away with me.

I finally attempted to book an appointment again in December (I’m sure I need a filling), but was told by the receptionist that because I hadn’t been for more than two years, I had been kicked off their list. I apologised, pleaded, said I wouldn’t make the same mistake again and that I hadn’t been texted a reminder. “We don’t send reminders,” came the sharp reply.

I sympathise with those who have found themselves booted off their dentist’s NHS lists

In vain, I politely emailed the manager, asking her to reconsider. “Unfortunately, we are at full capacity and no longer accept NHS patients,” was the response. “This is a national problem due to the lack of dentists. It is not the practice’s responsibility to contact you as we only have a duty of care to patients whilst they are receiving on-going treatment – unlike the GP when you become registered,” it went on. “If check-ups are not booked before leaving the dentist after treatment we do not send reminders. As much as I do understand the frustration, I am unable to accept you as an NHS patient and can only offer a [private] plan.”

I didn’t reply. What was the point? Instead, like many others, I was simply left without a dentist. It has played on my mind ever since. Should I pay privately? How much will that cost? What if I need a filling at £140. What if I need two?

Trevor Maggs, 64, in Penzance, Cornwall, told The Observer that he and his partner Gillian have also been kicked out despite being patients since 2012. “They haven’t refused to treat us, but have refused to treat us as NHS patients,” Maggs said. “We’ve got modest savings and spending thousands of pounds to have our teeth fixed is a bit galling.”

The national problem is so acute it has been taken up by Healthwatch England, the health and social care champion. Chris McCann, its director of campaigns, told The Observer: “It’s not uncommon for people to think that they are ‘registered’ with a dental practice only to discover that they have been de-listed when they go to make an appointment.”

A spokesman for the British Dental Association (BDA), said: “Registering hasn’t existed in England and Wales since 2006. Being ‘on the books’ brings no formal status whatsoever, and dentists are under no obligation to give you an appointment.”

Nevertheless, for anyone who has neglected to have their gnashers checked for more than two years (and especially if lockdown conditions actively prevented them from doing so), it comes as a shock to be delisted. In an ironic twist of fate, last week I was sent to report on the new NHS St Pauls Dental Practice in Bristol that had just opened, leading to eight-hour queues around the block. Gathering the stories of those waiting – loose teeth, bleeding gums, DIY dentistry attempts – I attempted solidarity. “I don’t have a dentist, either,” I told them. “As soon as I file my copy, I will join the back of the queue.”

In fact, the queue was too long to join, so I have since emailed the new practice to register. Its website states in large bold letters: “The Dental Practice holds the right to deregister you as an NHS patient if you fail to attend, cancel two appointments consecutively or give shorter notice which is less than 48 working hours to cancel an appointment.” Nothing, admittedly, about the implications of allowing two years or more to lapse between check-ups.

Now I am no longer smug that I have an NHS dentist. I am instead terribly, terribly grateful. I will make sure I attend at least once a year – and pray that I’m wrong about that filling.

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