Lancashire dentists struggle to cope with ‘unprecedented backlogs’
Dentists in Lancashire have reported difficulties tackling an ‘unprecedented’ backlog of appointments.
During the first lockdown starting in March 2020, practices across the UK closed for several weeks, leading to thousands of appointments being cancelled. Even when clinics were able to reopen in June, restrictions to reduce the spread of the virus meant that practices had to limit patient numbers. Teams have been working under restrictions for over a year now and the impact is becoming increasingly visible. There are huge backlogs and patients are struggling to get appointments.
In the North West, over 9,900 people visited A&E Departments in 2019/2020 with dental issues. This equates to a cost to the NHS of approximately £1.6 million.
British Dental Association (BDA) figures suggest that over 70,000 appointments have been lost in Blackpool since March 2020, with most practices operating at a “fraction of their former capacity.”
As well as dealing with backlogs caused by the pandemic, many dentists are thinking about retiring or changing professions, which could contribute to further problems with access. Surveys indicate that almost half of the dentists are thinking about either taking early retirement or changing their job if the current restrictions remain in place.
Emergency treatment is available across Lancashire but dentists have warned that it could be some time before patients are able to book routine appointments. Practices are still required to use additional PPE, leave time between patients and implement social distancing measures, which means that they can only treat a limited number of patients per day. Teams are currently prioritising patients who need urgent treatment.
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