Healthwatch calls for reform to improve access to dentists
Healthwatch England published the first-ever research on people’s understanding of NHS dentistry and what they want from the service as the government develops its ‘Dental Rescue Plan’.
The poll, carried out in September, revealed that most people in England have misconceptions about their 'right' to an NHS dentist and want changes to how they access dentistry.
- A third, 33%, of respondents said they had to wait longer for their NHS dental treatment than they wanted.
- One in six, 16%, said they hadn't been able to find an NHS dentist who would treat them, with 27% of those having to seek private care in the last two years.
- Over two-thirds, 68%, of respondents mistakenly believe they have the right to register with an NHS dentist as they do with an NHS GP.
- When asked about their preference for getting NHS dental care, over half, 54% of 1,791 respondents said they want to be able to register with an NHS dentist as a permanent patient in the same way as they can with an NHS GP.
Healthwatch recommendations for the government and NHS England:
- NHS dentistry should be reformed to give everyone a GP-style right to be permanently registered with a dental practice to get both preventative and urgent care throughout their lifetime.
- The public should be consulted on any proposals being considered for long-term reform of NHS dentistry.
- The new patient payment introduced for dentists from March 1, 2024, should be evaluated and any findings published.
- Dental practices should clearly communicate to people what they need to do to be maintained as an NHS patient.
- Public awareness of how the NHS dental system works should be improved, to help people consider or plan for alternative sources of care if their practice chooses to stop providing NHS care.
National Audit Office report on dentistry
The National Audit Office (NAO) published a report in November 2024 which concluded the dental recovery plan to increase access to NHS dentistry, announced by the previous government in February, is not on track.
A pledge to provide an extra 1.5m NHS dental treatments in England this year is “in disarray” according to the report amid falls in both the number of dentists doing NHS work and people receiving care from them. And even if this goal was reached, it would still be 2.6 million fewer treatments per year than pre-pandemic levels, the NAO said.
Additionally, an investigation carried out by the BDA and Daily Mirror suggests 96% of dental practices are not accepting new NHS adult patients and at least one in 10 constituencies in England do not have a single practice taking people on.
These findings underline the deplorable state of NHS dentistry. The difficulty of getting NHS dental treatment is one of the public’s biggest concerns about the healthcare system generally and is a crisis that dental leaders have estimated is denying 13 million people access to NHS appointments.
