NHS dentists across Wigan have been inundated with requests from desperate people hundreds of miles away, a meeting heard.
Only 33 - 9.4 per cent - dentists in the borough now provide NHS services, with would-be patients struggling to be seen. Wigan council's Health and Social Care scrutiny committee heard 31.9 per cent of children up to five in the borough are thought to have cavities or tooth decay.
Asked by councillors how residents could have a better chance of being taken on by an NHS dentist, Ben Squires, head of primary care at NHS Greater Manchester, said: "They [dentists] are often deluged with inquiries about this even from people hundreds of miles away as this is a national challenge.
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“We are looking to get practices to commit to a new level of patients to alleviate the pressure at the moment. We are still relying on the national website for that information.”
There is currently no other option than to look on the NHS website for availability at practices. For Coun Paul Collins, this was a prime example of how a health service can be privatised.
“This is a perfect example of how the NHS will become privatised,” Coun Collins stated. “The cost of treatment, even when it is NHS treatment, is too high.
“I was told I might need a new crown which was £600. Even people in work might not be able to afford it. We have people that can’t get a dentist and if they do get there they can’t afford it.”
Coun Debbie Parkinson added that her NHS dentist was kicking people off their list for not getting an appointment after two years - even during the Covid pandemic when they were shut. Mr Squires explained there is no policy as to how dentists manage their patient lists.
For affordability, there will be NHS Greater Manchester initiatives to provide supervised toothbrushing in all nursery and reception Early Year settings for children aged 2-5 years, support fluoride dental packs distribution at one year and two to two and a half year checks all for children, the meeting was told. Wigan however, would not be included in the programme to support reduction of health inequalities across four priority oral health areas Bolton, Rochdale, Salford and Oldham.
Dentists are private businesses and act as contractors to the NHS when they sign up to be a provider and the benefits “are not as good as they used to be”, Mr Squires admitted. He went on to say that they are working with dentists to try and get more on board in order to reduce the high level of demand.
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