CONFUSION over dental benefit forms has led to an innocent Redditch man being fined £100 for ‘fraud’.
Ian Edwards had worked all his life, but now, aged 61, and bent almost double with curvature of the spine after a lifetime in industry he is on sickness benefit, and receiving Employment Support Allowance (ESA).
Mr Edwards (pictured) joined the Oasis Dentist in Bromsgrove Road in September and was happy to pay £56 for his treatment, however to his astonishment he found he had also been fined £100 by the NHS Business Services Authority under a system designed to catch benefit cheats.
“It’s disgusting,” said Mr Edwards, who is under the care of Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
“I’m a good worker, I’ve worked all my life but this is the system punishing innocent people and making them feel small.”
Fined: Ian Edwards
Mr Edwards’s problems started when his partner Pearl suggested he change dentist to one closer to their Mill Street home to save him walking so far.
“I filled in the forms saying I was in receipt of ESA, asked them to check them and they gave me an appointment for a check-up,” said the former spring worker.
“I attended that and then another one for a scale and polish and said to them, ‘if I have to pay anything, let me know’.”
However Mr Edwards’s ‘crime’ was to confuse the two ESA forms he was given – the savings one, used when you have to pay for treatment, and the contributions one, used when you do not.
He, like many people, was unaware there are two different forms. As a result he’s been fined £100 for attempted fraud.
He’s not alone in falling foul of the system either.
A BBC investigation in October found hundreds of people had also innocently been fined.
When the Redditch Standard spoke to dental practice managers around town they all agreed many residents are being caught out by the forms.
“A lot of people are getting it wrong,” said one. “The NHS keeps changing the forms, people get confused and end up being fined when it’s not always their fault.”
A spokesperson for NHS Business Services Authority said: “We are working to educate patients and healthcare professionals on the rules around eligibility for free dental treatment to reduce the number of incorrect claims caused by confusion or lack of awareness.”
Failure to pay the fine within 28 days brings a further £50 penalty for late payment. NHSBSA has an appeals process – call 0300 330 1293 for help.
