Dental appointment numbers fall by over 60% in Bracknell Forest
New figures from NHS Digital have revealed a sharp decrease in the number of dental appointments provided for patients in Bracknell Forest.
Statistics suggest that appointment numbers fell by around 65% in 2020/2021 compared to 2019/2020. Just over 31,000 patients received treatment between June 2020 and March 2021 compared to 88,400 in the same period the year before. Appointment numbers were down by 66% among children in the area.
The figures underline the impact of the pandemic, with practices forced to close during the first lockdown in March 2020 and restrictions governing patient numbers since their reopening in June 2020. Despite clinics being able to offer a wide range of services since last year, many have only been able to offer emergency care.
The government announced NHS dental targets of 45% of pre-pandemic activity for practices in January 2021, rising to 60% in April 2021, but there was widespread criticism from dental bodies and clinic owners. With measures in place to limit social contact and leave time between patients, dentists claimed that it was virtually impossible to hit targets.
The latest estimates suggest that around half of NHS practices in England are struggling to hit targets, as clinics are still operating at a reduced capacity. Chair of the British Dental Association (BDA) general dental practice committee said that “millions are still missing out on dental care,” which is impacting patients and contributing to “low morale” among dental teams.
The figures for Bracknell Forest are representative of a national trend, which indicates that appointment numbers have dropped dramatically across England since the start of the pandemic.
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