NHS acts on your feedback to improve dental care | Healthwatch Lincolnshire

NHS acts on your feedback to improve dental care

Thanks to you, NHS England will take several steps to ensure better dental support for people with complex problems and improve the information for those trying to find an NHS dentist. Read our response.
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NHS England has announced several steps to ensure better dental support for people with complex problems and improve the information for those trying to find an NHS dentist. 

The stories you shared about the difficulties people had in getting a dental appointment have shown the impact of the poor state of dental services, leading to NHSE bringing in these changes.

What have you told us?

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen an increase in the proportion of people telling us they found it hard to access an NHS dentist. Issues we have repeatedly highlighted to national decision-makers include:

  • Longer waiting times for care unless people are prepared to pay for private treatment;
  • People finding out their NHS dental practice had gone fully private; 
  • People finding they had been taken off their dentist NHS lists because they had been unable to visit them during the pandemic;  
  • Unclear advice about where to get help or which dentists are taking on NHS patients; and 
  • People being left in pain, with some developing more problems that led them to be hospitalised and cases of people treating themselves inappropriately. 

Find out more

What action has been taken?

NHS England has announced several changes to the contract with dentists who provide NHS care, including:

  • Increasing the payments for dentists when treating patients with complex needs, for example, people needing work done on three or more teeth;
  • Requiring dental practices to regularly update the national directory on www.nhs.net to clarify if they are taking on NHS patients; and
  • Moving resources from dental practices that are underperforming.

What is our response?

Responding, Liz Ball, our Healthwatch Lincolnshire Steering Group Chair said: 

"We are aware of the concerns of Lincolnshires residents and their struggles accessing an NHS dentist over the last few years and are pleased to hear that NHS England has announced several changes to the contract with dentists who provide NHS care, including:

  • Increasing the payments for dentists when treating patients with complex needs, for example, people needing work done on three or more teeth;
  • Requiring dental practices to regularly update the national directory on www.nhs.net to clarify if they are taking on NHS patients; and
  • Moving resources from dental practices that are underperforming.

We are hopeful that these reforms will make it easier for Lincolnshire residents to find a dentist taking on new NHS patients, the changes announced will help support our local populations needs and are welcomed."