Almost all new patients unable to access NHS dental care

New data shows that up to 97% of new patients who try to access NHS dental care are unsuccessful, prompting calls for the new government to act fast.

The Office for National Statistics Experiences of NHS healthcare services in England shows 96.9% of those who do not have a dentist and who tried to access NHS dental care were unsuccessful.

This comes as more than 100 people are reported as queueing as early as 2.30am just to get a place at an NHS dentist in Warrington.

Of those who failed to secure care, 11% were recorded as going private, 1.6% reported going to A&E and 1.1% reported going to their GP. More than three quarters (78.5%) did nothing, with the British Dental Association (BDA) warning will only lead to greater burdens and the health service if early signs of disease are left unchecked.

Of those who tried to access NHS dentistry, but did not have a dentist, 33.5% reported having an urgent need for NHS care, with 21.3% stating they were in pain.

‘Desperate scenes’

BDA chair Eddie Crouch said: ‘This is a reminder that for new patients NHS dentistry has effectively ceased to exist.

‘This crisis is piling pressure across our health service, forcing some to go private, while others in agony simply forgo needed care.

‘We will keep seeing desperate scenes outside dental practices the length and breadth of this country until we see real reform.’

Last month, Lord Ara Darzi’s published a full and independent investigation into the state of the NHS, concluding that the service is in a ‘critical condition’.

Looking at invesment, quality of care and the nation’s health, the report identified serious and widespread problems for people accessing services.

The report said COVID-19 has a lot to answer for when it comes to performance in the dental sector.

Impacts NHS dental provision

‘Good dental health is essential for adults and children alike,’ it said.

‘Yet only about 30% and 40% of NHS dental practices are accepting new child and adult registrations respectively.

‘And as this chart from the Nuffield Trust shows, there are wide variations in the number of NHS dentists per population in different areas of the country. Rural and coastal communities particularly lack access to NHS dentistry.

‘Dental access was particularly badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and is still recovering. If dentistry is to continue as a core NHS service, urgent action is needed to develop a contract that balances activity and prevention, is attractive to dentists and rewards those dentists who practice in less served areas.

‘There are enough dentists in England, just not enough dentists willing to do enough NHS work, which impacts provision for the poorest in society.’

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