Beware of dental charges when in receipt of ESA - Karen Pritchard

I am sharing my recent experience of dental care whilst in receipt of ESA, to make you aware of what happened to me so I can prevent this happening to others in our community. On my last routine dental check I was asked by the receptionist if I was in receipt of ESA to claim free dental care. I explained that I was and I signed the relevant form.

I thought nothing more of this, until a few weeks later when I received a letter from the NHS Business Services Authority, with a penalty notice charge of £65 and a further £13 for my unpaid NHS dental treatment! As you imagine I was completely shocked.

I approached the dental Practice Manager and she declined to accept any responsibility over the matter. She informed me that to claim free dental care I needed to be on Income based ESA and not Contribution based ESA. At this point it was too late as I had a bill waiting to be paid. I even provided the dental receptionist with proof of my ESA, as requested, and asked her to take a copy, but she said she didn’t need to.

Had I thought for one minute that I was not entitled to free dental care then of course I would not have signed the form. I was simply asked if I was on ESA and when I replied that I was, I was asked to sign the form.

With the threat of a County Court Judgment or legal action, I paid my bill. Luckily, after continually fighting my case and also explaining my health issues to the board I finally had my money returned.
Please be aware the next time you sign a form with your dentist ask all the relevant questions and take all the time you need to read the form. Don’t feel rushed like I did. The Practice Manager did inform me that her staff needed training regarding this issue, so hopefully the fact that I have highlighted this problem to them, will prevent this happening to another patient at my practice.