DENTISTS in South Worcestershire claim health bosses have done a U-turn on funding for treating children on the NHS.

Under a new contract being offered by the South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, practitioners now fear they will have to take on many more NHS patients despite not having the capacity to do so.

The PCT has said that to receive the funding, practices need to have the same number of NHS patients as they had during a standard national test period from October 2004 to September 2005.

Chris Bocking, from Buckingham House Dental Surgery, Graham Road, Malvern, said: "Subsequently, we have converted a lot of our patients to private and have a small NHS list.

"If this practice wants the funding for seeing children then we would have to take on an extra 1,000 NHS patients."

He said that during negotiations over the contract, due to come into force on April 1, his practice was told that they could continue to see their current NHS lists.

"The PCT has done a complete U-turn."

Richard Sheen from Old Market Court Dental Practice, High Street Droitwich, said: "I agreed figures with the PCT about a month ago. Now it will not fund me to treat children.They had agreed to take care of children and then four or five weeks before the contract starts they withdraw it. It's crazy."

However, the PCT says it cannot offer contracts based on offering NHS services to children and exempt adults because it would undermine the principle of a non-discriminatory NHS service.

Paul Bates, acting chief executive at South Worcestershire PCT, said: "Some dentists have indicated that they would prefer contracts which are restricted to the treatment of children and adults exempt from charges, but the trust is not able to offer such contracts."

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"Its aim is to ensure that everyone has access to NHS treatment."

The Primary Care Trust is negotiating new contracts with local dentists.

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