Health Watchdog Calls For Better Access To NHS Dental Care

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A health watchdog has called for better access to NHS dental care, after it was revealed that some patients are travelling up to 40 miles to see an NHS dentist.

Healthwatch England found that there is growing frustration among dental patients, with many travelling long distances to see an NHS dentist or joining a private practice due to poor access in their local area. Researchers found that some patients were making an 80 mile round trip just to see a dentist, while others were forced to pay higher dental costs because there were no NHS dentists taking on new patients close to their homes.

The watchdog also found that some practices were removing patients from their register if they missed a single appointment, despite the fact that many had valid reasons.

The watchdog has also suggested that some dentists are offering basic treatments in a bid to save time and money; one example is dentists offering extraction as an alternative to filling teeth.

In a statement released by Healthwatch England, the situation was described as “simply not acceptable.” The watchdog, which represents local authorities in England, has called for major improvements to ensure that patients are able to see an NHS dentist in their local area without having to wait or worry about travel.

In response to the statement, England’s chief dental officer, Dr Barry Cockcroft said that 93 per cent of patients who wanted an NHS dental appointment were able to do so in the last 2 years. In addition, of the 6.5 per cent of patients surveyed who wanted to see a dentist at an NHS practice they were not registered with, more than three quarters were successful.

Dr Cockcroft also confirmed that dental practices are not able to de-register patients without reason and encouraged patients to use their practice’s complaints system to deal with this matter.

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