.
Key themes and issues….
- In 2022, 415 people contacted us about
dental services, this is 18% of our total
interactions for the year.
- The only service we received more feedback
about in 2022, was access to GP
Services.
- Some people with a private dentist cannot
afford essential treatment.
Many families are concerned that their
child/ children have never seen a dentist.
- Some people have got into debt whilst
paying for dental care.
- Some people are travelling as far afield as
London and Birmingham to see a dentist.
Key themes are problems with Access,
Cost and Equality.
Inequalities.
Lack of NHS dentistry on the Isle of Wight is compounded by the fact that we are surrounded by water. We do not have the luxury of travelling to a nearby city or county to access NHS dental care, without the additional cost and inconvenience of travelling by ferry which can be unreliable in poor weather and can add hours to traveling time.
Lack of NHS dental services has widened health inequalities, with people on lower incomes often getting no service, while those who can afford to go private can get treatment without delay.
We have been contacted by pregnant women, cancer patients, people with mental health conditions, autistic people and cancer patients, all of whom have been unable to access any NHS dental care. This has affected their mental health and wellbeing, caused financial hardship and has increased pressure on urgent care services such as NHS 111, A&E and GP services.
Solutions
We have spoken to local dental providers who are aware of the issues and who are keen to help. They would like the following:
- Easier route for foreign dentists to work in this country.
- Fairer renumeration for preventative dental treatment and treatment that stabilises people’s dental health.
- More focus on providing people with necessary treatment, rather than people having to go through urgent and emergency services in regular cycles.
- Make contracts more flexible to allow undelivered UDA’s to be allocated to dental practices that have the capacity to deliver these.
.
What are we hearing?
What else are we hearing?
