The NHS has responded after a health charity claimed dental patients in Liverpool were “more desperate than ever”.
Healthwatch Liverpool outlined what it thinks needs to be done to tackle what it describes as a backlog of untreated dental issues continuing to grow across the city. In its annual report published in August, the charity - which assesses how health and social care services are used across the country - said almost 2,000 people have sought support to access an NHS dentist this year, an increase of more than 350% on the 12 months previous.
According to a document published on the state of dentistry in Liverpool, the city has “lower numbers of people receiving check-ups or early treatment” leading to “dental problems getting worse and taking more time to treat. The problem is getting worse not better and people calling us are more desperate than ever.”
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Responding to the report’s findings, NHS North West said the covid-19 pandemic had a “disproportionate” impact on the region and as a result, its dental provision. A spokesperson for the NHS in the North West said: “The NHS recently announced the first reforms to dentistry services since 2006 which will support practices to improve access including giving high performing practices the opportunity to increase their activity and treat more patients – discussions around further changes that benefit patients and staff are ongoing.
“The covid-19 pandemic, which has had a disproportionate impact on the North West region, has inevitably led to a disruption in routine dental care with NHS dentists having to focus on providing care for those with an urgent dental need. We work closely with Healthwatch colleagues, who give valuable insight into the issues and challenges faced by local people, and we will continue to work with them.
“It is important to note that anyone who is in dental pain or in urgent need of support, help or advice, can telephone their own dental practice in the usual way. If they don’t have a usual dentist and have an urgent need they can contact the dental helpline on 0161 476 9651.”
It was revealed in the Healthwatch report that as per NHS Digital data, Liverpool has a lower number of dentists per 100,000 population than most of the rest of Merseyside and Cheshire. Healthwatch said as of this month, just one in the city is able to take on new patients.
In a bid to tackle the issue, Healthwatch called on the NHS to provide “honest communication” to the public about the scale of the dental challenge and how long it will take to access and appointment. The charity has asked for an action plan “to stabilise and then restore NHS provision locally including fair access to the existing provision during the recovery period to minimise harm and inequality.”
It said targeted action is needed to improve access to dental care, as well as action to encourage recruitment and retention of NHS dentists.
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