New contract introduced by Labour has helped dentists cheat NHS out of £73million by claiming for work they didn’t do

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New contract introduced by Labour has helped dentists cheat NHS out of £73million by claiming for work they didn’t do

May 8th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

Estimated that one million fraudulent claims were made in 2009-10

By
Gerri Peev

PUBLISHED:

19:24 EST, 7 May 2012

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UPDATED:

19:25 EST, 7 May 2012

Fraudulent claims by NHS dentists cost taxpayers over £73million in just one year, according to an investigation.

It estimated that dentists made one million inappropriate claims for treatment of NHS patients in 2009-2010.

Ministers blamed the fraud on Labour’s dental contract, introduced in 2006, which created a banding system allowing dentists to make claims for more expensive treatment than the work they carried out.

Fraudulent activity: Claims by dentists for work they didn't do has cost the NHS more than £73million, according to an investigation (file picture)

Fraudulent activity: Claims by dentists for work they didn’t do has cost the NHS more than £73million, according to an investigation (file picture)

Dentists no longer claim for specific work such as a filling or crown, but lump treatments together, some of which are never delivered.

The watchdog organisation NHS Protect warned that if the level of fraud in 2009/10 is replicated until 2014, it will cost the taxpayer a further £146.4million. That is without even including the five other years since the contract began.

Investigators estimated that another £5.3million could have been lost in 2009/10 in cases they were unable to examine fully.

Some 10 per cent of fraudulent claims were for ‘ghost patients’ – clients who did not exist. One claim was for a patient who was in prison at the time.

'Botched stewardship': Health minister Lord Howe (above) said taxpayers are footing the bill for Labour's dental contract introduced in 2006

‘Botched stewardship’: Health minister Lord Howe (above) said taxpayers are footing the bill for Labour’s dental contract introduced in 2006

Health minister Lord Howe said: ‘Taxpayers will rightly be appalled at the £70million price tag they are paying for Labour’s botched stewardship of NHS dentistry. This is money that should be spent on patients.

‘It is a great shame that a minority of dentists have been able to game a complex and confusing contract.

‘When our new dental contract is introduced across the country, it will tackle this issue by streamlining and simplifying how NHS dentistry is paid for. Until then, we will not tolerate any kind of fraud we uncover.’

Investigators estimated the levels of
fraud after following up 5,000 claims submitted for payment in March
2010, covering work carried out in 2009 and 2010. Patients were
contacted and asked to give details of the treatment they were given.

Suspected fraud was found in 3 per cent of cases – or 157 in the sample of 5,000.

A
total of 1,100 cases, 22 per cent, were unresolved, where patients
could not be contacted or refused to co-operate, while 75 per cent were
cleared of fraud.

The investigators found half of all fraud was down to
the level of treatment claimed for.

A
further 27 per cent was committed by dentists splitting up the course
of treatment, allowing them to charge more for repeat visits rather than
carrying out all work in one go.

In
12 per cent, the patient did not need the work and 1 per cent of
fraudulent claims were for patients who had already paid privately for
their treatment.

Enlarge

The Government is trialling a new dental contract that rewards dentists for the quality of care they deliver, not just the volume of work carried out.

Under health reforms, responsibility for NHS high street dentistry will be passed to a single organisation, the NHS Commissioning Board, instead of 152 Primary Care Trusts. Officials believe this will make it easier to uncover fraud, as well as reducing administration costs.

Labour denied its contract was to blame for fraudulent claims. Shadow health minister Jamie Reed said: ‘Fraud is the fault of the fraudster, not the contract.

‘The Tories are shamelessly playing politics by trying to blame the rules instead of the people who break them.

‘The last Labour government introduced new contracts to improve efficiency and help more patients find an NHS dentist.

‘It is time for the General Dental Council and the Department of Health to get a grip on the small number of rogue claimants.’

Around 2,000 NHS dentists refused to sign the new contract when Labour introduced it and went into private practice.

They opposed being paid in ‘units of dental activity’ and being forced to meet targets every year.