Councillors raise concerns as patients in Hampshire wait years to see a dentist
Councillors in Hampshire have raised concerns over access to dental services, with many local patients waiting years to see a dentist.
Councillors in the county have called for urgent assistance, as patients who cannot afford to pay for private care face an uphill struggle to get treatment. There is a shortage of NHS dentists in the region and thousands of people are still trying to get a dentist after the closure of dental practices in Portsmouth, Tadley and Alton in 2019.
At a recent health and social care select committee meeting, councillors on all sides of the political spectrum agreed that the current system is not working for local patients. NHS dentists are working tirelessly to try and accommodate patients, but the demand is far greater than the supply and this means that patients are waiting to see a dentist even if they have severe symptoms.
Some councillors shared their own experiences of trying to get a dental appointment and many voiced concerns about patients from deprived areas who could not even contemplate seeing a private dentist due to the cost.
Alison Cross, from NHS England, attended the meeting virtually and explained that dental services have been badly hampered by the pandemic. Dentists faced a huge backlog due to surgery closures during the first lockdown and since then, practices have been running at a reduced capacity. Most are still only working at around 65% of pre-pandemic capacity, which means that it is taking a lot longer to work through backlogs and make appointments available for patients.
Despite the access issues in the county, Ms Cross confirmed that urgent services are available and encouraged those waiting for routine appointments to be patient and mindful of the stress dental teams are currently working under.
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