Dental Charges and BSL / Spoken Language Interpreter provision, Enfield

Healthwatch Enfield, in response to questions from members of the public and from advocates, contacted NHS England, to explore why patients were finding it so difficult to access interpreters to assist them at dental appointments. They also wrote to the General Dental Council and NHS England in order to better understand the ways dentists charge for treatment and whether private fees are regulated.

They found that the practice is supposed to book and pay for interpreters and then invoice NHS England so that payment is reimbursed via the usual payment system. NHS England also stated that booking an interpreter is the responsibility of the dentist and not NHS England and that this is not a new method or process. Healthwatch Enfield suggest that NHS England should send a formal letter, explaining the payment process, to each dental practice in the Enfield area.

The responses from the General Dental Council and NHS England confirm that NHS dentists are not allowed to apply a fee on top of NHS charges for NHS treatment. They can however, offer private treatment in addition to or instead of NHS treatment and this must be properly explained to the patient and consent obtained prior to the provision of treatment. NHS England and the General Dental Council also advised that dentists need to obtain consent for the provision of treatment whether it is NHS or private and cannot change from NHS to private with consulting the patient. It was also confirmed that private dental fees are not regulated.