Current access to NHS dental services
As your local Healthwatch, we regularly receive calls from people around dental services. We have received an update from NHS England around dentistry and the effect of Covid-19 which we are sharing with you.
Despite the pandemic, millions of people received dental treatment last year and the NHS set up more than 600 urgent dental centres so patients can get access to a dentist if they need it.
Access for urgent dental care has been back at pre-pandemic levels for many months now, and NHS dental activity levels have risen safely and significantly. Regional commissioners will maintain urgent dental centres, as appropriate for the demand in their area.
Dental teams have faced real challenges during the pandemic. The proximity between a dentist and a patient’s airway and the relatively high number of aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) have affected the way care is provided because dentists must abide by important infection control guidelines to combat COVID-19.
This has an impact on the number of patients practices can see in a single day. Throughout the pandemic, the NHS has supported dental teams with income protection and a staggered approach to returning dentistry to pre-pandemic levels.
In line with the dentistry’s standard operating procedure, dentists are continuing to prioritise patients with the highest need or priority, such as children and those most at risk of oral disease.
There are no circumstances when a practice should prioritise a routine case over an urgent case as it is a condition of income protection that they prioritise all known and unknown patients to the practice who require urgent dental care if contacted directly or via 111 services. Ultimately, dentists and their teams are skilled clinicians and they use their clinical judgement to assess and respond to patient need.
Gabi Darby (NHS England) and Shawn Charlwood (British Dental Association) issued this statement jointly recently: “The letter on NHS dental contract arrangements, issued jointly by Minister Jo Churchill, NHS England and the Chief Dental Officer, represents an important new chapter in progressing contract reform in England.
“The commitment to pursue rapid meaningful change across the next year will be particularly valued by those working in NHS dentistry. All parties have recognised the profession is seeking faster progress on contract reform. NHS England and the British Dental Association are optimistic that the commitments given represent a new start for system reform, with DHSC having asked NHS England to lead in moving the process forward over the next 12 months and beyond.
“NHS England and the BDA look forward to working together immediately and at pace to take forward system reform, exploring how we can make the joint principles set out in today’s letter work for the profession and patients. Whilst we know that contract reform is not straightforward, we hope and expect that the 6 aims will offer a transparent framework to enable us to develop a reformed NHS system that provides high quality patient care and an environment where professionals can work to their full potential. We will now begin the process of developing reform and will report back progress as soon as we can.”