Health board’s improved patient access to dental services pledge
SWANSEA Bay University Health Board (SBUHB) has pledged patients will now start seeing improvements in accessing dental services.
The promise comes after the Post reported on Monday that some desperate people were resorting to pulling out their own teeth at home.
A damning report by an independent health watchdog warned Swansea Bay’s health board dental needs were not being met by the NHS. SBUHB has now responded to the story.
Karl Bishop, dental director, SBUHB, said: “We recognise the upset and distress dental pain can cause and acknowledge some people have not been able to access routine dental services as we would have liked during the Covid pandemic.
“Significant investment has been made by the health board to continually improve access to NHS dental care, especially for those with greatest need and the most vulnerable. This has allowed thousands more people to see a dentist.
“However, Government Covid guidance drastically limited the numbers of patients dental practices across Wales and the UK could see and the care that could be provided, although in SBUHB all dental practices remained open and worked to support their communities. In addition, access to urgent NHS care has not only been maintained but expanded.
“As Covid restrictions are relaxed and we renew our focus on prevention and increasing access to dentists, we are confident that the public will start to see improvements.
“Key to this will be a contract reform programme, which 88% of dental practices in this area have chosen to join. This takes effect immediately. Signing up means they will make a number of positive changes including being able to offer care to almost 30,000 additional new NHS patients this year.
“In addition, practices will be able to focus on prevention of dental problems and we are continuing with the excellent progress already made by our child oral health programme called Designed to Smile (D2S).”
The report referred to in Monday’s story was published by Swansea Bay Community Health Council, an independent statutory body that exists to represent the interests of patients and the public, and concerns dentistry issues faced by people living in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.
The document, entitled Accessing NHS Dental Care: Getting to the Root of the Problem, was a follow-up to issues raised with the health board in a previous report published in 2020.
The new report, based on feedback received from 1,370 people, found many patients were continuing to struggle to access NHS dental services. The most startling finding was provided by reports that people have actually pulled their own teeth out at home. Others, meanwhile, have resorted to trying to find an appointment 15 miles away from where they live. It was also claimed that some practices are encouraging patients to go private even though they are entitled to free dental care on the NHS.
Of those who shared feedback, 797 completed an online survey, submitting comments regarding their experience of trying to access an NHS dentist in South Wales.
One patient said: “My son has been trying to get an NHS dentist for several years and has had no dental treatment in all that time. He is only told time and time again to join on a (private) plan. It is disgusting.”
Another patient said they resorted to carrying out their own dentistry from home. They said: “Since Covid started, I cannot get any dentist. A dentist was supposed to phone me when they had a vacancy. Two teeth I pulled out myself.”
According to the body that compiled the report, urgent steps need to be taken to correct the “unacceptable levels of dental access” in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.
“Swansea Bay Health Board must reflect on the feedback in this report and our 2020 dental report to improve the reach of NHS dental services,” said Hugh Pattrick, chair of Swansea Bay Community Health Council.