Thousands of extra NHS dental appointments made available in Swansea
Thousands of extra NHS dental appointments have been made available in Swansea Bay.
Since April 2022, more than 14,000 new patients have been able to access appointments, with another 14,000 extra appointments expected to be completed by April 2023. New patients are classed as those who haven’t seen a dentist for four years.
The pandemic caused huge backlogs in the area, with practices shut for several weeks and then running at a reduced capacity during subsequent lockdowns and periods of restrictions. Officials at Swansea Bay Health Board are now trying to catch up and enable as many patients as possible to see an NHS dentist.
Sharon Miller, director of primary care at the board, explained that the primary focus is to ensure that people who need urgent care and those who haven’t been able to get an appointment for a long time can access NHS care. Due to the extent of the demand for appointments, people who don’t need to see a dentist urgently have been asked to be patient.
Before the pandemic, it was much easier to get an NHS appointment. NHS dentists completed around 2.3 million courses of treatment per year before Covid hit. In 2020/2021, the number of adult courses fell by 76% and there was a staggering fall of 99.4% in check-ups for children.
The situation in Swansea Bay is representative of many parts of Wales and England. Many people are finding it difficult to get an NHS dental appointment. Health bosses are hoping that investing in catch-up schemes to boost appointment numbers will help to ease pressure.
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