§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland in what circumstances patients can be de-registered by their dentist; what procedure governs this process; and for what reasons a patient would cease to be registered with a dentist. [15530]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 23 March 1995]: General dental practitioners are independent contractors who are free to choose whether to provide NHS treatment to individual patients. Dentists may decide to de-register patients for a variety of reasons, including debts owed by the patient, when the dentist leaves the practice, or when a dentist chooses to stop offering NHS treatment. Regulations lay down that a dentist who wishes to end a patient"s registration prematurely without the patient"s agreement must give three months" written notice and complete any outstanding treatment before the patient may be de-registered. A dentist may end a registration at less than three months" notice only with the agreement of the health board. A patient"s registration lapses automatically if they do not visit their dentist within a set period of the previous visit—two years for adults and between one and two years for children.