Which? survey reveals East Lancashire is one of the worst places to try and see a dentist
A survey conducted by Which? consumer magazine has revealed that East Lancashire is one of the worst places to get a dental appointment in the UK.
An investigation found that a third of practices in the country were not offering places to new patients, despite the fact hat they advertised spaces online through NHS Choices. If the practices contacted, only 1 in 5 could offer a dental appointment within 2 weeks.
According to the report, only 3 of the 16 practices contacted in East Lancashire offered an appointment within a 2-week period and one clinic offered an appointment in 8-9 months.
The study also showed that many practices are misleading patients looking for a new dentist, as they claim that they are accepting new patients on the NHS Choices website, but were unable to offer a place when researchers called. A quarter of those surveyed were unable to offer appointments for new patients, despite advertising that they were taking on new patients online.
In response to the findings, an investigation has been launched by Dental and Pharmacy for NHS England (Lancashire and Greater Manchester) and patients will be surveyed about their experiences. Contracts manager for the body, Max Harrison, confirmed that emergency treatment is available to all patients.
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