New figures show sharp decline in dental visits in Lancashire
New figures show a sharp decline in the number of people visiting a dentist in Lancashire.
Statistics released by the House of Commons suggest that just over a third of adults in the county have attended a dental appointment in the last 2 years. This is a dramatic fall from 63% of patients in the 24-month period leading up to June 2019.
A BBC investigation into dental services revealed that none of the 118 dental practices located in Lancashire were taking on new NHS adult patients during the summer.
Leader of Lancashire Council’s Liberal Democrats, David Howarth, said that he had been contacted by residents with concerns about accessing NHS dental appointments, including people who are travelling to cities like Liverpool for treatment because there are no free places locally. He described the situation as “absolute nonsense” and added that there was a “discrepancy” between NHS patients struggling to get appointments for routine checks and urgent dental issues and new clinics offering immediate appointments for cosmetic treatment.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care indicated that the government would be outlining plans to boost NHS capacity and highlighted changes that have already been made to the dental contract. These include paying dentists more for complex treatments and procedures and enabling dental therapists and hygienists to provide a wider range of services.
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