The difficulty of getting non-emergency NHS dental care in Norfolk has been revealed in a document submitted to Parliament.
Healthwatch Norfolk analysed the data that it receives from people across the county over a 12-month period and also checked with practices to find out if people could get NHS treatment.
They found that in January 2023:
- No NHS dentists are accepting new patients
- One NHS dentist is accepting new child patients, and a second will do a one-off check-up on children but will not register them
- Patients say it is virtually impossible to get NHS non-emergency care if they are not registered with a practice
- Practices say they are either at capacity, struggling to get new NHS contracts, or cannot find staff to expand their NHS provision
- Many dental surgeries now only practice on a private fee-paying basis
- The rural nature of Norfolk, with poor public transport infrastructure, makes accessing dentistry services difficult.
Just under 50 per cent of all enquiries to Healthwatch Norfolk between January 12, 2022, and January 12, 2023, were about people’s dentistry experiences.
A total of 234 enquiries (out of a total of 545 about all health and social care issues) came from people unable to access NHS dental care during those 12 months. That equates to 43 per cent of all our enquiries.
Through its website and face-to-face feedback, it received 77 reviews relating to 33 different dentists/practices. Eighty per cent of those related to difficulty getting access to appointments or dental care.
It affected every single demographic of people, including every age, people with a range of disabilities, those on Universal Credit, those who required treatment in their own homes, individuals with mental health issues, The People From Abroad team at Norfolk County Council, and a patient who could not have heart surgery until he saw a dentist. Healthwatch Norfolk managed to intervene and secure him an NHS appointment through a contact.
Healthwatch Norfolk also contacted 50 dental practices spread across the county’s different district council areas between January 13 and 16, 2023. They found that 100 per cent were not taking on new patients, 14 per cent did not have the capacity to take on private patients, one wanted to extend its NHS lists and was still waiting to hear if that was possible, and one had a waiting list for NHS patients that topped 3500.
Judith Sharpe, Healthwatch Norfolk deputy chief executive, said, “We are being contacted daily by people who are concerned about access to NHS dental care. While there is provision for emergency care, we feel that a more proactive approach is needed targeted towards prevention.
“While sorting out the current situation is not going to be quick or easy to deal with, ensuring Norfolk’s younger residents know how to protect their oral health is absolutely vital so this current situation does not continue for future generations.
“We hope our evidence to the Health Select Committee can help influence future dental policy and priorities.”