Brighton pensioner’s plight highlights crisis in NHS dentistry, says national health watchdog

The plight of a Brighton pensioner has been cited as an illustration of the national crisis in NHS dental care, according to a health watchdog.

Healthwatch England said that Gwen Leeming, 72, suffered for two years with infections in two of her back teeth.

But when she tried to get help from her NHS dentist, she was told that her practice was now only providing private appointments.

It took her six months to get dental care but she had to travel an hour away for her appointment after being unable to get help from any NHS dentists in Brighton.

The former research institute administrator said: “I am a 72-year-old who has worked and paid national insurance for over 50 years so I can’t get health insurance any longer.

“As I live on limited income, which is supplemented by housing benefit, I can’t afford extra costs like private dental care.

“I’m one of the many victims of our broken dental care system. It particularly is failing older patients who suffered (indeed still suffer) from the impact of 1960s’ school dentists.”

Healthwatch England said that some people were being told to wait until 2024 for dentist appointments while others were being removed from their practice lists for not making appointments sooner.

Dental surgeries have reported that they have “thousands” of people on their waiting lists while patients are unable to access care after ringing round numerous dental surgeries.

Delays have resulted in the worsening of painful symptoms and in one instance even led to a patient needing hospital treatment after they overdosed on painkillers, Healthwatch said.

But the watchdog said that some people were being offered swift private care as an alternative – at the same dental practice – with some patients reporting that they felt “pressured” to pay for private care.

Some practices even appeared to be “prioritising” private care, Healthwatch added.

The watchdog’s report – shared with the Press Association (PA) news agency – highlights a number of issues in affordability and access, including

• People “removed” from the practice list for not making an appointment sooner
• Repeated cancelled appointments – even midway through treatment
• Dentists have reported that they have “thousands” of people on their waiting lists, with some patients claiming they are unable to even get on a waiting list
• Dentists shutting down or “going completely private”
• Patients being asked to wait up to three years for appointments – or six weeks for emergency care
• Some who called NHS 111 seeking emergency dental care were told to “use salt water” and carry on calling practices until they could find help
• Other patients have been told to use DIY filling kits while they wait for an appointment
• People being increasingly prescribed antibiotics with no prospect of a follow-up appointment to actually treat the problem

….

The Healthwatch report said: “People have felt pressured to go private as dentists said that they couldn’t provide NHS treatments but were able to if people were willing to pay private fees.

“People were unable to make an appointment with their regular dental practice because they were removed from the practice list for not making an appointment sooner.

“They only became aware of this when they tried to book an appointment as they had never received any notification about it.

“Some were unable to find another practice taking new NHS patients so they ended up paying privately to be able to see a dentist.”

Healthwatch England conducted a review of 1,375 people’s experiences shared with local teams such as Healthwatch Brighton and Hove.

It found that some people had been asked to wait for three years for an NHS dentist appointment – but they were told that private care could be available within a week.

The watchdog warned that even when people could get access to dental care on the health service, three fifths (61 per cent) of people deem treatment too “expensive”.

While some people get access to free dental care – including children, pregnant women and those receiving income benefit support – many need to pay rates of between £23.80 for routine treatment to £282.80 for more complex care.

Healthwatch England said that some people are avoiding treatment because they cannot afford the cost. It said that there is a “twin crisis” of access and affordability.

Data from Healthwatch suggested that 80 per cent of people who contacted the watchdog in the first three months of the year said that they had struggled to access timely care.

The number of complaints about dentistry rose by 22 per cent in the first three months of 2021, it said, compared with the preceding three months.

It also carried out a poll of 2,000 people’s experiences with dental care in England.

A quarter (27 per cent) said that they either struggled to pay or avoid dental treatments altogether because they were unable to afford the costs.

And 30 per cent reported that they felt pressured into paying private fees to get all the dental treatment they needed.

Almost a quarter (23 per cent) said that they would only visit the dentist when they needed treatment despite guidance recommending regular dental check-ups.

Healthwatch England has called on the government to speed up reforms of NHS dentistry to avoid harm to people’s health.

Imelda Redmond, national director of Healthwatch England, told PA: “The twin crisis of access and affordability hitting NHS dentistry means many people are not able to access timely care – and the poorest are hardest hit.

“Those human stories show that oral health is a social justice and equity issue. Reform of dental contracts needs to be a matter of urgency for this government.

“New arrangements should include making access to NHS dental services equal and affordable for everyone, regardless of where people live, their income and ethnicity.

“Failing to act now will result in long-term harm for thousands of people, putting even greater pressure on the already overstretched healthcare system.”

Shawn Charlwood, chair of the British Dental Association’s general dental practice committee, said: “For too long meaningful reform of NHS dentistry has been repeatedly kicked down the road.

“Covid has pushed a system already in crisis to breaking point, with millions left with no options.

“Patients need to know that by this time next year ministers will have turned the page on a decade of failed contracts and underfunding.”

The Department of Health and Social Care said: “We are committed to supporting the dental sector throughout this unprecedented pandemic so everyone across the country can access affordable, high-quality dental care.

“All dental practices have been able to deliver their full range of face-to-face care since last June, with over 600 practices providing additional support for urgent dental treatment.

“We continue to support the most vulnerable by providing exemptions from dental charges for certain groups – nearly half of all dental treatments, over 17 million, were provided free of charge in 2019-20.”