Health watchdog appeals for urgent action to improve NHS dental care access in York

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Healthwatch York has appealed for urgent action to improve access to dental care, as more and more patients struggle to get an emergency dental appointment. 

Since April 2019, patients who require urgent dental treatment have been advised to ring NHS 111, but Healthwatch has suggested that some patients have not been provided with the care they need close to home. Some callers have been advised to travel as far as Scarborough, and the body is concerned that call handlers don’t have the local knowledge to direct people to available local services, as well as worries related to a shortage of urgent NHS dental options.

A spokesperson for the patient group said that the situation is getting worse, and that the NHS doesn’t seem to be aware of the logistical or financial upheaval of travelling a long distance when suffering from dental problems.

The campaign group has called for action to improve the reach of NHS dental services across the country, as the scenario in York is reminiscent of many other towns and cities. There is a shortage of NHS dental places, and this is putting people in a situation where they either have to travel, pay for private treatment or miss out on seeing a dentist. 

The British Dental Association has repeatedly accused successive governments of failing to provide sufficient funding for the NHS dental system and branded the situation in York “scandalous.” Scarborough is 40 miles away, and expecting people to travel such a long way for treatment, particularly emergency care, is unacceptable

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