Changes to NHS dentist eligibility not ruled out by health minister

The health minister hasn't ruled out changing who is eligible for an NHS dentist on the Island to help reduce the waiting list.

There are currently 6,254 people waiting for an NHS dentist. 

But in 2019 there were just four - one adult and three children. 

So what's changed?

In Manx Care's board meeting this week, it said the number of allocations have been consistently low for a number of reasons.

One of those is that dental providers haven't had an uplift in contractual payments since December 2020.

Since then, practice expenses are said to have increased and capacity for NHS provision by providers has decreased.

However, Manx Care says it's now in a position to look at unifying the way it pays dental providers for services, to implement contractual changes and to improve access to dental services.

It also hopes to have an ability to offset the current waiting list in lieu of upcoming changes.

The healthcare provider believes it's very likely this will be a welcomed change for dental providers and that it will see improvement in access relatively quickly as a result.

It's something supported by the health minister in the House of Keys.

But Claire Christian says she can't definitively say whether or not the access criteria will have to be changed to significantly reduce the number of people waiting for a dentist:

Manx Care has previously confirmed it's looking at introducing specific eligibility requirements to register with an NHS dentist.

In the last financial year, around 52,000 unique patients saw an NHS dentist on the Isle of Man.

However, if the Island adopted the UK's eligibility criteria, only 18,000 would qualify for NHS dental care.