Rochford named one of the most difficult places to get a dental appointment in England
The Essex town of Rochford has been named as one of the most difficult places to get a dental appointment in England.
According to statistics from the Local Government Association, Rochford has one of the lowest ratios of dentists to patients in the country. It is currently in the top 5 with 0.068 dentists per 1,000 people.
Deputy leader of Rochford Council, Cheryl Roe, said that residents are unable to get NHS appointments in the local area and added that she had to pay for private dental care for her daughter because there were no practices offering NHS services. She described the situation as “just ludicrous” and said that it was “ridiculous” that people are having to drive or take public transport to travel long distances to see a dentist.
Analysis of the data shows that there are no local authorities in the country that have more than one dentist per 1,000 patients. According to the British Dental Association, around 3,000 dentists have left the NHS since 2003. This covers dentists who have retired or changed careers, as well as those who have switched to private dental care.
The new health and social care secretary, Therese Coffey, has pledged to make improving access to NHS dental services a priority.
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