Cheaper dentist and doctor fees for U18s
UNDER-18s will have reduced dentist and doctors fees and improved personal health education in schools from next September.
A joint venture by Health & Social Care, Education Sport & Culture and Employment & Social Security wanted to prioritise children’s health and
education by subsidising some costs to primary care services.
The States has agreed that the cost of a visit to the GP or Emergency Department should be £25 for under-18s, and £15 for a visit to a practice nurse, subject to HSC negotiating an appropriate funding arrangement with each GP
practice.
The estimated total cost of subsidising primary care GP and nurse appointments was anticipated to be in the region of £820,000 per year, and the estimated income foregone from Emergency Department charges was expected to be around £380,000 per year.
They also agreed that children up to the age of 18 should have free annual dental check-ups, including fluoride varnish treatment, at an estimated cost of £270,000 per year if the committees can negotiate an appropriate arrangement with private dental practices.
As well, a supervised toothbrushing programme will be provided for children at pre-school and regular dental health education for primary and secondary school children.
This would come with an estimated cost of £110,000 annually.
Finally, the committees convinced the States that children in primary school should receive additional cultural enrichment activities at a cost of around £150,000 a year.
In order to fund these, they suggested families with a gross household income of £120,000 or more will not be entitled to receive family allowance, resulting in an estimated saving of just over £1.5m.
Family allowance will continue to be paid to families with a gross household income of less than £120,000 and it should only be payable in respect of children up to the date of their 18th birthday – saving an additional £320,000.
HSC president Heidi Soulsby said this was not the final stage, it is a solution for the time being on the road to finding a better, more thorough solution.
Deputy Peter Ferbrache said this was a really good piece of work and it was the right thing to re-distribute funds to support those who are in need.
This was echoed by cheers of ‘hear hear’ from other members in the Chamber.
Because all the propositions were passed, the changes will be implemented from 1 September 2021 and HSC and ESC are required to publish evidence on the impact of these changes two years after their introduction.
There were 35 votes for and three against [Deputies Gavin St Pier, Lyndon Trott and Al Brouard] with one absentee.
