Like Pulling Teeth

[Bper]

Should you be lucky enough to be able to see an NHS dentist, in a few weeks you’ll be paying more for everything from a check-up to fillings. The Government thinks we should pay more so they can pay less while people are pulling out their own teeth because people can’t get NHS appointments. 

The government announced that NHS dental fees will go up by four per cent from 1st April. This is despite the fact that last year patients were faced with the steep increase of 8.5 per cent, the government announced that NHS fees will rise by up to 4% from the 1st of April this is despite the fact that last year patients were faced with the steep increase of 8.5 per cent.

 

For all those who are struggling to pay for dental treatment this will push treatment further away for them and additional cost on to already stretched incomes.

[Rhymes with Paris]

Well Bob, the reality for me and many others I'm sure,is private treatment or none.

Yes,it's cost me more than I spend on cars, and it is expensive.

But after ringing round a couple of years ago, there really is no alternative around here.

I talk to people who say that they have not had a check up in 20 years, and are not willing to pay for one, only will  have one if it's on the NHS.

I am old enough to remember the old drilling instruments from the 60s with slow drive belts, and amalgam fillings, lots of pain and no care at all.

Not saying that private care should be necessary, but for me, forgoing some other expenses is worth it.

 

 

[Stevie J]

The Tory mantra is and always ever was to get rid of the NHS altogether and introduce the US healthcare system where people have to pay privately for everything, and also to have to have health insurance. They have been deliberately running down the NHS and selling parts of it off to the private sector for years now - bit by bit, so its not noticed straight away, but now, people are beginning to realise that unless they are prepared to pay a fortune in private fees for treatment, they are going to be waiting a long time for treatment - thats if they ever get treated at all. That is most prevalent in  dentistry, where now, hardly any dentists in the UK are taking on NHS patients, and you are expected to go on a plan such as Denplan, and pay extortionate fees for anything other than check ups. What it costs Band 2 for an extraction will be £73.50 from April, but compared to what you would have to pay privately this is pretty cheap.

The rest of the NHS is not far behind what has happened to dentistry now, and if the Tories get re-elected this year for another term, you can kiss "free at the point of need" healthcare goodbye. It will be a case of no money, no treatment, and they wont care less if you are suffering in pain - it will only ever be about how much profit you can supply to the Tories healthcare chums, that have clearly been giving them handsome backhanders to destroy the NHS, forcing patients into paying privately and into their hospitals. If you are well off, then it wont bother you, as you would be able to pay £15000 for a knee replacement or £20000 for a new hip - but if you are not well off, then things are going to be pretty miserable - this is pretty much how it is in the USA, and what is coming here fast.

[FROSTYBALLS]

My eldest sister was a dentist, and her practice like many, withdrew from the NHS in the early 90's due to the new contract introduced in 1991/92, and the amount paid for each treatment being reduced yet again. 

My dentist (I have been with the same practice for approx 62 years), like many others, went private in the early 90's after the changes in 1991, as the fees paid often didn't fully cover the costs of treatment. I've continued with them using a capitation policy through Denplan.

One thing to note is that NHS dentistry is managed in a different way to most other NHS services.

Since 1991, we've had a Conservative government (1990-1997), a Labour government (1997-2010), a Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition government (2010-2015), and  a Conservative government (2015 onwards).

No government, whichever party they belong to, between 1991 and 2023 have revised NHS dentistry contracts to successfully encourage more dentists back to the NHS, and ease the issues of access.

Some reform is due to take place from this month, but what difference that will make is yet to be seen, and, if we have a change in government this year, whether the reform will be continued, improved or watered down.

[Bper]

13 hours ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

Well Bob, the reality for me and many others I'm sure,is private treatment or none.

Yes,it's cost me more than I spend on cars, and it is expensive.

But after ringing round a couple of years ago, there really is no alternative around here.

I talk to people who say that they have not had a check up in 20 years, and are not willing to pay for one, only will  have one if it's on the NHS.

I am old enough to remember the old drilling instruments from the 60s with slow drive belts, and amalgam fillings, lots of pain and no care at all.

Not saying that private care should be necessary, but for me, forgoing some other expenses is worth it.

 

 

I understand the private route for dental treatment but this is not available to a great deal of people who are already struggling to get an appointment or can't pay for NHS treatment. You may be aware that many dentists make excuses to patients that they don't carry out certain treatments at their clinic.

For example, root canal treatment due primarily to the length of time which it takes to complete and therefore affects the profit they could be making from those that are paying for private treatment.

I personally have witnessed this and had to pay for private treatment due to the length of time and more importantly the pain. The lack of access can lead to neglecting dental health due to cost, which can snowball into more expensive problems later. Poor oral health can have a ripple effect on overall health.

We keep asking the government to reduce the costs or renegotiate the terms of NHS dentists to ensure they receive a fair remuneration for the jobs they do, but it just falls on  deaf ears. Year after year the cost goes up, the waiting lists get longer and people's health is affected which puts more strain on on the NHS.

 

[Haliotis]

In the past, when going out of government, the Conservatives have left the county’s finances relatively healthy, whereas Labour have always left a block hole by putting the country on the “never-never” with unfunded spending.

This time things will be different.  Whichever party wins the election (and it looks like Labour), they will be going into power with a massive deficit, and there will be no margin for error or “feel good” spending.  They will need to be very careful - look what happened to Liz Truss’s brief position as P.M., when she unleashed a bold spending plan.  It is easy to critise the government when you are in opposition, but quite a different matter when having to put your money where your mouthy is.

[Bper]

11 minutes ago, Haliotis said:

In the past, when going out of government, the Conservatives have left the county’s finances relatively healthy, whereas Labour have always left a block hole by putting the country on the “never-never” with unfunded spending.

This time things will be different.  Whichever party wins the election (and it looks like Labour), they will be going into power with a massive deficit, and there will be no margin for error or “feel good” spending.  They will need to be very careful - look what happened to Liz Truss’s brief position as P.M., when she unleashed a bold spending plan.  It is easy to critise the government when you are in opposition, but quite a different matter when having to put your money where your mouthy is.

Hi Albert, regardless of which party is in power, it's essential for policymakers to prioritize sound economic management and consider the long term implications of their decisions. This includes addressing the deficit while also investing in areas such as infrastructure, healthcare, to support economic and future growth.

Ultimately, effective governance requires cooperation and pragmatism to address the challenges facing the country, and it's important for politicians to be accountable for their actions and decisions, regardless of their political affiliation.

[JARC1]

Will this country ever financilly recover from the vast sums of money that was spent to attempt to control Covid ? I am not suggesting that it should not have been spent. Merely pointing out that no matter what or which party are in power they will need the financial resource to basically put any situation needing funding back to acceptable levels of cost to each individual.

[Cyker]

I'm sure they will use it as an excuse for for why they have to shaft us more for at least 8 more years regardless...

[FROSTYBALLS]

The coalition government of 2010 also faced a major deficit - hence the various austerity measures that were put into place.

[Haliotis]

When the going gets tough, the government just tell us to tighten our belts and wait for times to improve.  But councils still increase council tax by whatever max percentage the government allows, and most business organisations increase prices on the excuse that it is “in line with inflation” which, of course, doesn’t necessarily mean it was essential.

[Bper]

46 minutes ago, Haliotis said:

When the going gets tough, the government just tell us to tighten our belts and wait for times to improve.  But councils still increase council tax by whatever max percentage the government allows, and most business organisations increase prices on the excuse that it is “in line with inflation” which, of course, doesn’t necessarily mean it was essential.

In politics, stupidity is not a handicap

[JARC1]

1 hour ago, Bper said:

In politics, stupidity is not a handicap

Thought it was a prerequisite !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Roy124]

We are in a Dental Oasis.  In the area Coalville, Loughborough, Oakham and Leicester is JDRM Dental Care.  They operate 12/7.

 Our previous Dentist, Powell in Lincoln closed about 3 years ago after 140 years.

[Bper]

23 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

We are in a Dental Oasis.  In the area Coalville, Loughborough, Oakham and Leicester is JDRM Dental Care.  They operate 12/7.

 Our previous Dentist, Powell in Lincoln closed about 3 years ago after 140 years.

I know its no consolation that your previous dental practice closed after 140 years but I am surprised that JDRM are operating 7 days week as there can't be many that are these days.

[yossarian247]

17 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

The coalition government of 2010 also faced a major deficit - hence the various austerity measures that were put into place.

Labour ran up government debt of well over £1 trillion leading up to the 2010 general election. They blamed the banking crisis, which certainly worsened the situation, but it was already increasing before that. The Con/Lib coalition promised to reduce it, but despite so-called 'austerity' actually increased it to almost £2 trillion during the 2010s. Then Covid came along and the various schemes such as furlough etc increased it to over £2.5 trillion today.

Financially speaking none of the major UK political parties are fit to run a bath IMHO.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/282647/government-debt-uk/

[Benzowner]

I read a statistic a few months ago the world debt was over $310 trillion. Who do we owe all this money to?

[Bper]

11 minutes ago, Benzowner said:

I read a statistic a few months ago the world debt was over $310 trillion. Who do we owe all this money to?

High Geoff,The UK's debt is owed to a variety of creditors, but the biggest holders are UK institutions, these includes pension funds, insurance companies, and the Bank of England. Pension funds are a major holder, as they invest heavily in government bonds to secure future payouts. The Bank of England's holding is around a third of the total debt, due to its quantitative easing program. Around 28% of the debt is held by investors from other countries. These can be governments, banks, or other institutions.

[Roy124]

Money does not exist.  Cyber is supposed to be new, but I last handed out pay packets in 1963.

I caused consternation at both bank and building society when I withdrew and paid in £60,000 in twenties.

Example:  you have a pension pot of £1 000 000.  You get £50k pa from the pot for life.   After 20 years you have received £1m.  In your 21st year you again get £50k.

Unfortunately for your mate, he snuffed it in the first year.  Poof, £950 000 disappears. 

 

 

[Parts-King]

12 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

 

Example:  you have a pension pot of £1 000 000. 

I want your pension pot Roy 🤦‍♂️😂😂

[yossarian247]

1 hour ago, Roy124 said:

 

Example:  you have a pension pot of £1 000 000.  You get £50k pa from the pot for life.   After 20 years you have received £1m.  In your 21st year you again get £50k.

Unfortunately for your mate, he snuffed it in the first year.  Poof, £950 000 disappears. 

 

 

That's only the case if they'd used the pension pot to buy an annuity. If they'd simply drawn down the pension pot, which you're allowed to do now, the first person would have nothing left after 20 years and no pension in year 21 onwards. 

The second person who died after a year on the other hand would have a £950k pension pot which they could pass on to their dependents, often tax-free. 

As with most financial matters, it's a gamble. 

[Roy124]

My State Pension dies with me as does my disability.  My works pensions immediately halve.  There is  no draw down or inheritance beyond my other half.

I only used indicative values as mine probably is less than  5% and the pot a mere £953 450😆

And apart from the million not actually existing as a pill of cash, 20 % is immediately clawed back on income tax, so 5 of us pay the pension of the 6th.

And should we have the temerity to actually spend some in UK another 20% is clawed back in VAT.  Car? Lots more tax.  At least with EV that can be as low as 5% charging, but petrol ....

As I say, it does not exist. 

Now if you actually went to the bank and got your £10 000 on cash, went next door to the exchequer and gave them £2000 then the Council Offices and then the utility company.  As well as the promise of water, gas, electricity and a phone,  they give you a bill for the exchequer. 

Back at the exchequer, before you had that over you also calculate the tax due on the next month's driving (in advance of course) which includes fuel, insurance and excise duty.

Being tired and in need of sustenance you pay over another wodge before going to Starbucks for a coffee; at least they avoid passing on your VAT. 

See, it does not exist, it's a Government scam.