Patients travelling ‘hundreds of miles’ to access NHS dental care – MPs hear

Leading dentists have called for action to save the service.

MPs have heard that patients are traveling hundreds of miles to find an NHS dentist (Alamy/PA)

Some patients are having to travel hundreds of miles for NHS dental care, MPs have heard.

Painting a dire picture of the state of NHS dental services in England, one local Healthwatch representative said that patients are being forced to chose between heating and dental care.

Call handlers for Healthwatch Lincolnshire have described having “palpitations” because they are unable to help patients trying to access dental care, Sarah Fletcher, chief executive of Healthwatch Lincolnshire said.

She said that people call the local patient champion daily trying to seek help accessing care.

Meanwhile, public health minister Neil O’Brien admitted the system needs to be “overhauled”.

We've heard more about access to NHS dental services than any other issues. It's really significant for us and it's daily

Sarah Fletcher, chief executive, Healthwatch Lincolnshire

Addressing the Health and Social Care Committee of MPs, Ms Fletcher said: “The lack of dentistry is something that as a Healthwatch we hear every day. Our team are in despair, they don’t know what to tell people when they contact us.

“We’ve been told time and again that people are having to make difficult choices, almost impossible choices, between their heating and maybe dental (care) and naturally, the dental is the one that they choose not to (pay for) because they just cannot afford it.

“We’ve got families that are having to travel hundreds of miles to go to an NHS dentist – they’ve got the cost of that on top of everything else and maybe a day off work.”

“They are telling us they’re in acute pain, that pain is not being addressed, they can’t afford to have the treatment, they’ve gone many years without treatment and, therefore, when they do manage to get into a dentist there is that much work that needs to be done that actually even under the NHS, it’s often not affordable.”

She added: “We’ve heard more about access to NHS dental services than any other issues.

“It’s really significant for us and it’s daily.

“We hear from people daily about it, mostly asking us to help them find a dentist.

“Yesterday I talked to one of my team who said ‘I have palpitations now when people ring up and ask for help finding an NHS dentist because I know I can’t help them and there’s nothing I can say or do other than signpost them to possible practices that might put them on a waiting list’.”

Meanwhile, Jo York, managing director of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board said the local health body has had “significant issues” with dentists handing back some of their NHS contracts.

She said that when a GP surgery closes patients are found spots at neighbouring practices “that’s not the same in dentistry unfortunately”.

Meanwhile, Chris McCann of Healthwatch England, called for a “national oral health assessment” which would lead to a “reformed system where everyone is guaranteed a point of entry”.

“We would like to see a situation where people have the same kind of relationship with a dentist as they do at their GP, so that people immediately know where to go when they have an issue with their oral health,” he told the committee.

MPs also heard from Mr O’Brien who said that the Government’s aim was to restore levels of dental activity after the pandemic and also improve the service.

“There is a lot to fix in NHS dentistry,” he said.

“I’m the first person to say that, I’m not here to tell you everything is perfect.

“On the other hand, it is worth seeing that levels of activity are recovering – we have about a fifth more patients seen in the year to March than the year previously, so the levels of activity are going up.

“But there’s a lot more to do.”

He said reforms will include making NHS work “more attractive” to dentists, and prevention work.

“My ambition is to get back to a good level of provision and to do quite a thorough overhaul of the contract and the current system because I think that is what is needed now. We’re not into small tweaks, we’re prepared to work in an incremental way but the system does need quite a lot of overhaul.”

Commenting on the proceedings, Eddie Crouch, chairman of the British Dental Association, said: “Witnesses tried to defend the indefensible, attempting to put a gloss on the government’s record.

“It won’t wash. NHS dentistry needs urgent reform. It requires sustainable funding, instead we’ve got a charge hike that’s hit the patients who need us most.

“An exodus of dentists is still in motion, and millions remain unable to secure the care they need.

“The committee can draw a line under this and set an urgent ‘to do list’ for government.”