Healthwatch Richmond raises concerns over dental crisis
Healthwatch Richmond has raised concerns over a dental crisis in the area.
The body, which supports patients, claims that people are overpaying for NHS treatment, resorting to DIY treatment and even travelling thousands of miles to visit overseas clinics to get an appointment.
Residents have reported examples, including having to pay for private care to register a child as an NHS patient, pulling their own teeth out at home and going abroad to countries like Turkey and Poland because they can’t find an NHS dentist. The group has also warned that some practices are profiting by advertising pre-paid NHS services and then recommending private care for patients at an additional cost.
Healthwatch Richmond is particularly concerned about vulnerable people, including those on very low incomes, pregnant women, patients whose first language is not English and those who struggle to get out and about due to limited mobility or a lack of access to transport. These patients find it more difficult to access NHS care and face a greater risk of missing out on NHS dental services.
Before the pandemic, around 8% of enquiries handled by Healthwatch Richmond related to dentistry and dental services. Now, more than 30% of calls and emails are about dental problems. The most common issues are difficulties getting an appointment or finding a practice that is taking on new NHS patients and struggling to cope with dental pain.
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