Finding NHS non-emergency dental care in Norfolk is still proving difficult for residents, according to a new report.
Healthwatch Norfolk asked people to share their experiences of dental care ahead of its first Dental Summit.
It aimed to explain the issues and what was being done to deal with them.
A total of 221 people took part in a survey painting a picture of dentistry issues being faced by people in Norfolk.
Following analysis of the responses, Healthwatch Norfolk found:
- Over three-quarters of people taking part in the survey said they could not get an NHS non-emergency dental appointment
- 48 per cent of respondents trying to get an emergency appointment could not do so.
- Of those who did get one, half received it within five days of their initial enquiry.
- Many people were concerned their NHS dentist was practicing privately, and they could not afford the costs of this.
- There were also worries around the access of NHS care for children and the difficulty of finding it.
- Many of those who did secure care for young people told us they were happy with the help they received.
After analysing the feedback, Healthwatch Norfolk made a series of recommendations. These included:
- Making sure access to both emergency and non-emergency appointments is prioritised.
- Ensuring the oral health care of children and the most vulnerable was safeguarded and they got the care they need aided by better signposting information and improved home-visit dental care for those who need it.
- People responding to the survey also said they would be willing to travel up to 60 minutes to access out-of-hours care.
You can read the full report at https://healthwatchnorfolk.co.uk/reports/experiences-of-nhs-dental-care/
It was formally published at Healthwatch Norfolk’s first Dental Summit which was held at The Garage in Norwich.
It saw NHS Norfolk and Waveney explain the work they are doing to try and improve care for those who need it.
This includes creating more appointments, improving access to emergency care via the 111 system, and recruiting more dentists to offer NHS care in Norfolk.
Jason Stokes, the secretary of Norfolk’s Local Dental Committee, also explained the challenges facing dentistry.
This includes the current NHS contract not working, attracting and retaining NHS dentists, and the need for career progression.
And delegates also found the range of work being carried out by Norfolk’s public health team to prevent people, particularly children and young people, from needing dental care and ensuring their oral health is good.
Reaction
Alex Stewart, chief executive of Healthwatch Norfolk, said: “In the last year, dentistry has accounted for around 40 per cent of all the inquiries we have received and so we wanted to focus on this.
“This was a chance for people to find out more about what is being done to ease the dental concerns in Norfolk, and what they could do.
“There was an overwhelming message about prevention and making sure future generations in Norfolk learn about ways to safeguard their oral health to ensure they can remain fit and healthy and need less care.
“Equally, there is work going on to ease the current dental issues. We acknowledge the honesty of health leaders who are working hard to provide a dental service locally, but we want to see continuing progress towards that and would urge people to keep in touch with us to let us know about their ability to access dental care.”
