26
Nov 2019
Two million adults in England missing out on NHS dentistry
Recent analysis suggests that over two million adults in England are unable to see an NHS dentist, including an estimated 1.45 million who have unsuccessfully tried to get an appointment in two years, with the rest on waiting lists or put off by cost.
Leader of the British Dental Association (BDA), Dave Cottam, said there was a “perfect storm” of recruitment problems, failed contracts and underfunding, adding “These access problems are no longer affecting a few ‘hotspots’, but are now the reality for millions across every English region.
“Those losing out are the patients who need us most. The next government owes it to them to ensure this service has a future.”
The BDA cite a number of reasons behind the problem, including that 75 per cent of dental practices have experienced difficulties filling posts and a 29% cut in funding per head in seven years once inflation had been taken into account.
NHS England have said that action was being taken to tackle the problem and have urged patients to use the NHS website to locate dentists in their local area that were accepting new patients.
Work has also been done to add more flexibility to the contract.
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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
Freephone : 0800 304 738
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