Paddy McGuinness shocks Question Time audience with dental care story

Paddy McGuinness shocks Question Time audience with dental care storySource: BBC Quesiton Time

Transcript

00:00 Funnily enough, my dad did that.

00:02 What?

00:03 He took his own teeth out because he couldn't

00:05 get a dentist appointment.

00:06 And this is a few years back.

00:08 So I know that first hand.

00:11 But as someone, as a child who was terrified

00:14 of going to the dentist, I've got

00:15 to congratulate the government because they've managed

00:17 to get people queuing up at home.

00:20 People can't wait to get in the dentist now.

00:22 Everyone like, get me in there.

00:23 But I spoke to a dentist today, funnily enough.

00:26 And I'm glad you're here, Sue, because if I've got this wrong

00:29 and I often do get things wrong, you

00:32 might be able to help me out here.

00:33 But there's a thing called UDA, which

00:36 is a unit of dental activity.

00:39 So if you're an NHS dentist, you'll

00:41 get x amount of these UDAs.

00:44 So let's say it's 10,000.

00:46 So someone will come in for a scale and polish.

00:49 That's one UDA.

00:50 Someone will come in for a filling.

00:51 That's 12.

00:52 Someone with a crown, that's 20.

00:53 Now, that NHS dentist has to use up those UDAs.

00:59 And if they don't use them up, they'll get penalised.

01:02 And if they go above the UDA--

01:04 Nodding from the NHS dentist there.

01:06 --they'll get penalised again.

01:07 So they're stuck between a rock and a hard place.

01:10 And it's almost becoming--

01:13 you know, they do an amazing job.

01:15 But you don't want to be going to a dentist who's

01:19 doing target-based care as opposed to care-based care.