Access to NHS dental services
People are reporting that their dentist will no longer see them on the NHS and they will need to go private, mothers are reporting that they can’t get their children seen by an NHS dentist and those who have recently moved cannot find a dentist offering NHS treatment in their new location. The NHS provides a ‘Find a Dentist’ service online but many people have told us that the information is out of date and despite ringing round dentists on the list none are currently taking NHS patients.
In the past we have heard of these problems and when we reported them to NHS England they were able to organise extra capacity in the areas affected but the pandemic has made things much more difficult, especially with the restrictions it has placed on dentists’ ability to see people. Oral health is tremendously important and people are worried about the long term affects this lack of access will have. As we come out of this lockdown we really want to hear people’s experiences of finding NHS dental treatment in Shropshire and find out if this issue is specific to particular parts of the county or widespread.
