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Dentists may stop NHS work in red tape row

Dentists may stop treating NHS patients in protest at the government's attempt to impose a new contract on them which they claim will increase paperwork and red tape.

The British Dental Association is advising its members not to sign draft copies of patient access contracts being offered to them by primary care trusts in England. The BDA says that the Department of Health has failed to consult them about the contracts, and that they are "a bureaucratic nightmare" which will delay them receiving fees for providing free NHS dental work.

Government ministers are keen to increase the number of patients who are able to get a dentist after a previous shake-up in 2006 led to two million fewer people receiving treatment. This latest row could backfire and lead to some dentists abandoning NHS work altogether.

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