NHS dentistry in Cornwall branded ‘a failure of staggering proportions’
The director of public health at Cornwall Council has branded the county’s NHS dental services “a failure of staggering proportions.”
Rachel Wigglesworth made the comments in response to a new report, which was recently presented to the council’s Health and Adult Social Care Committee.
The report revealed that a third of 12-year-olds in the county do not have a dentist. NHS Kernow stated that there is only sufficient funding to pay for dental services to cater to half of the population. In 2020/2021, practices provided just 24% of the 900,000 treatments commissioned. The low figure was, in part, due to the pandemic, but only increased to 59% in 2021/2022.
Ms Wigglesworth described the findings of the report as “shocking.” At a meeting of the committee, councillors shared stories from patients who have borne the brunt of access issues. There are towns with a single dentist or no dentist at all, families that have been trying to register for years and patients who have been told they will have to join lengthy waiting lists to get an appointment.
The committee heard that there were issues recruiting new dentists and encouraging dental professionals to stay in the area, which was contributing to shortages and a lack of available NHS places. NHS Kernow representatives said that they were working hard to try to make Cornwall a more attractive option for graduates and dentists looking for new opportunities.
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