nhs in pregnancy

[MEGAN]

hi,
i am currently registered with a private dentist. I have recently found out that i am pregnant and therefore am entitled to NHS fees. I contacted my dentist practice manager who "was not sure if they could see me as a NHS patient " and would look into it and get back to me. This was 2 weeks ago. Can anyone tell me if they can dump me as a patient for being pregnant or are they obliged to see me. there are no NHS dentist in my area.

any help would be great!

thank you

 

[Sheila john dentist]

Hi Megan
I am a dentist working in Liverpool. How I understand it is if you are already registered as an NHS patient then you automatically become exempt for the duration of your pregnancy and for 12 months after you've had your baby. However if you are not already registered under the NHS but are currently being treated as a private patient then no the practice has no obligation to transfer you to free NHS treatment. You can either find an alternative NHS practice and register as a new patient or continue as a private non exempt patient. Hope this helps.
Oh and best of luck in your pregnancy-I am also blessed to be expecting myself!

 

[Will From Hull]

Hi Megan,

No - they are a private business. They can therefore accept and/or refuse custom to anybody according to their private policy.
It sounds unfair, but I was with a private practice for years. They also opted not to cater for any NHS patients at all.

I've since moved and am looking to join a new practice that offers NHS treatments.

Good luck with your pregnancy!