1 in 5 dental patients struggling to see a dentist in East England
New government data suggests that 1 in 5 dental patients in the East of England are struggling to see an NHS dentist.
Analysis of recent statistics shows that more than 60,000 patients in the region have tried unsuccessfully to get an appointment with an NHS dentist. A separate survey, which was aimed at dentists, revealed that staffing shortages are one of the main causes for a lack of places.
Nationally, it is estimated that over 1 million people are finding it difficult to access routine NHS dental services, a situation, which has been lamented by the British Dental Association. BDA executives have accused the government of failing to “heed warnings” related to recruitment issues and suggested that the crisis is set to get much worse over the course of the next five years. Studies indicate that a large proportion of dentists are planning to go private, leave the profession or retire in the near future.
Eddie Crouch, vice chair of the BDA, said that the government has turned its back on repeated warnings from dental bodies, and dentists are now under more pressure than ever because of a shortage of qualified professionals. The organisation has also been left reeling by the emission of dental measures and initiatives in the new NHS 10-year plan, which is designed to boost health and cut spending by investing in preventative programmes.
Figures show that NHS spending on dentistry has decreased by £4.95 per head since 2014 and several areas are facing recruitment crises, with practices unable to fill vacancies.
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