Londonderry dental claim rebuttal

DENTISTS have rebutted an allegation that a Londonderry dentist put in a National Health Service (NHS) claim of £720,000 saying the figure was inflated by 73 per cent.

Three members of the British Dental Association Northern Ireland locked horns with DUP MLA Jim Wells during a briefing at the Stormont Health Committee over the claims.

Mr Wells fulminated over what he described as eye-watering claims put in by dentists here.

But he was taken to task Dr Peter Crooks, Mr Seamus Killough and Ms Claudette Christie speaking on behalf of the dentists' union.

The briefing was held to discuss the Regulation and Improvement Authority (Independent Health Care) (Fees and Frequency of Inspection) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010.

The DUP chairperson of the committee Jim Wells put it to the trio that in Londonderry one dentist put in a claim of 720k.

He said: "The figures for National Health Service dental claims have been published, and we saw them. In Londonderry, there was one claim for 720,000.

"Even in my constituency, a dentist in Downpatrick made a claim for 300,000 a year. It was eye-watering stuff. Given those types of figures, are you telling me that 900 will be a problem?"

But Dr Crooks said to the MLA that the figures quoted were inaccurate and had been retracted by the newspaper that made them.

"A retraction had to be made, because the figures were not right," said Dr Crooks.

Ms Christie added: "The important point that we are making on the draft legislation is that dental practices, because they are based in small communities and towns and are finite in what they do, are small.

"The original draft of the legislation included a clause that enabled a small establishment to have a fee applied to it that reflected that.

"The redrafted legislation has removed that so that all dental practices must be regarded as, and pay the same fee as, an independent clinic, such as the independent clinic at Malone to which you referred.

"There is a big difference between the turnover that might be expected from a high street dental practice that makes a few gumshields for children who play sport and the turnover that might be expected from the independent clinic at Malone."

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