BARNSLEY health bosses have had to plug a £600,000 gap in patient income for NHS dental treatment over the last year.
The town has such high numbers of people, such as those on benefits, exempt from charges, that there are not enough full fee payers to meet the revenue target.
The shortfall was predicted by the Primary Care Trust in January when it was agreed to use ‘unallocated funds’ to cover half the deficit.
It is not known where the rest of the money has been diverted from.
About 50 per cent of Barnsley folk seen by a dentist do not have to pay for their treatment, a financial problem the PCT has said will be given priority.
A PCT spokesman said the lack of income is not something which dentists are responsible for.
