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NHS dentists earn over £200k pa in London
Ellen Widdup and Anna Davis27.10.09
Two NHS dentists in London earned more than £200,000 in a year, figures reveal.
A freedom of information request showed that the pair from Hounslow made more than twice the national average of £89,000.
The snapshot survey was done two months after it emerged that at least 5,200 dentists nationwide - about one in four - are making more than £100,000. It sparked an outcry from campaigners over NHS dentists' pay, which has grown since new contracts were brought in three years ago.
They are paid for the procedures they carry out rather than for the numbers of patients on their books. The number of complex treatments carried out has since fallen and only 58.3 per cent of the population saw an NHS dentist in the two years ending in March.
The disparity in dentists' wages is highlighted in Hounslow, where the average salary is about £66,000. The pair earned £218,000 and £216,000.
John Lister, of London Health Emergency, said: "This amount of money is becoming ridiculous. Dentistry has been a disaster for successive governments. It is the only area of the NHS where people expect to pay a lump of money. No other area of the health service can get away with that.
"A lot of those dentists are being paid private sector salaries to retain them in the NHS. This formula is clearly not working. We have people who cannot get access to an NHS dentist. There are huge inequalities in what dentists are paid, when the service is still not delivering proper and accessible care."
Critics of the contract say dentists have boosted their earnings by inviting patients back for needless check-ups.
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "You can't blame dentists for making the most of things, but the Department of Health has made a total mess of the contract negotiations."
A British Dental Association spokesman said: "Dentists are highly trained, caring clinicians who have worked hard to try to overcome the problems posed by the 2006 contract. Many continue to contend with the uncertainty of clawback of their contract values because they were unable to meet targets.
"Dentists, almost uniquely in the NHS, carry the business risk of their surgeries and are responsible for premises, equipment and staff."
Reader views (9)
To quote Billy Connelly. Sam, don't come to my work and tell me what to do: I don't come to your work and tell you how to sweep up.
- Steve, Maidenhead, UK
i strongly agree with sam redman.. dentists have one of the most stressful jobs in healthcare professions! And to all those who are on benefits! these two dentists must have paid a staggering £77,000+ in taxes EACH.
- Shana, B'ham
what other job needs more than 5yrs study and even before that top grades to enter the profession, continuous training, is regulated by the pct, dept of health, gdc, and god knows how many other bodies.why do people moan for paying for a service. do you moan about plumbers or builder when they quote work, and they arent even trained in a similar fashion. who works for free?
if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
- Geo, lancs
Sam Redman of London`s comment is hilarious. I love folk like him. Perhaps he could also cure swine flu with a bunch of untrained teenagers. Or get a few local lads to sort out the banking crisis. I really think Sam should stand as an MP and sort the country out. I`d vote for him, because when I had meetings with him I could run rings around his arguments. Oh, what do you do Sam? Can anyone else do your job?
- Andrew Adey, Wolverhampton, England
Yes Dentists get paid too much. I don't care if they work twice as hard seeing twice as many people in half the time just to reach targets on NHS and get bonuses like GPs.
I don't earn as much as they do and I bet I could do just as good a job as them after a few weeks training and cheaper too.
Anyone could do their job so I say sack them from the NHS and get the unemployed to take teeth out, but for free. That will teach the dentists not to be so greedy.
- Sam Redman, London UK
I'm so sick of all this dentist bashing. Yes, so you found either a couple of crooks or a couple of hard working dentists. What about the rest of us?
We didn't screw up your mortgages, create the credit crunch, or claim for money for second houses that we expect public to pay for. We get you out of pain, having been moaned at that you don't like us even before you sit down, pay our taxes so most of the scroungers in this country can watch daytime tv moaning about rich dentists, and then employ those of you who actually want to work. Which of you can lose your livelihood for behaving unprofessionally? Most of you will get a warning- yes, but losing everything.. No.. Give it a rest please, and find some other people to moan about! (Incidentally, regarding scrutiny and regulation---regulation- yes we have thatfrom the GDC -lots, and lots of scrutiny from the Government and the PCT, which is more than just a 'quick poll' to keep us in line. so please!)
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- S, bucks
I had a good National Health dentist at Crescent Lodge in Clapham for 20 + years. He retired and the practice went private. I applied to Wandsworth Council and got a list of NHS dentists. I have been to 2 of them and I am not pleased with the standard of their work for starters. One pulled my bridge so that it came off 2 weeks later and my crown had been yanked and is feeling strange. I am a pensioner and to have my teeth put right was quoted £20,000. I went for a consultation and was charged £90 for about 20 minutes and I could have told him what I was told - teeth loose - inplants where sinuses are - x-rays etc. If we are expected to pay top whack for dental teatment the standard of dentistry should be up to it.
- Liz, London
A good dentist is worth his/her weight in gold. Just ask anyone who has had an abscess! Long may the highly trained and skilled professionals earn a good salary. It is a fitting reward for the years of hard work to get there.
- Dannyp, Egham
The problem is supply and demand.
There is only a handful of dental schools and one was shut down on the late 1980s.
It wasn't shut down becuase there was no demand - it was shut down to cut the number of dentists qualifying.
What they need to do is train more dentists.
- Malcolm, London
