Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of public opinion towards the NHS Business Services Authority’s penalty charge scheme for dentistry.

No such assessment has been carried out by the Department. Many patients are exempt from National Health Service patient charges. The dentist, when collecting the charge on behalf of the NHS, is dependent if evidence is not provided on the patient’s statement that he or she is exempt. Retrospective checks on eligibility are undertaken to protect the overall NHS budget to which patient charges make an important contribution.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) carries this checking and penalty service out on behalf of NHS England. It includes an appeals process.

The NHS BSA and NHS England however recognise there is concern that some patients may not be clear on whether they are exempt from charges. The NHS BSA is working to further improve information available. This includes steps to promote easy read patient information amongst vulnerable patient groups, creating an online eligibility checker and developing a national awareness campaign.