Rutland watchdog chair has called the lack of NHS dentists in the county 'heartbreaking'
Dr Janet Underwood says some people are having to choose between food and private dental treatment
Last updated 3rd Oct 2024
The lack of NHS dentists is ‘heartbreaking’ with some people having to cut back on essentials to pay for private treatment, a health watchdog chairperson has said.
Rutland has the lowest level of dental access in the local health region and at a meeting of the health and wellbeing board yesterday (Tuesday, Oct 1), chairperson of Rutland Healthwatch Dr Janet Underwood said the lack of capacity is causing some people to make hard choices.
She took to task senior managers from the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB), which since April last year has been responsible for commissioning NHS dentistry, and said that delays to the long-awaited oral health needs plan, which will map out what needs to be done, are ‘unforgivable’.
She told the meeting, held at Catmose House in Oakham, that her organisation had been watching the dental shortage issue closely for a number of years and the oral health assessment had been promised a year ago and will now not be ready until November.
She said: “I think this delay is unforgivable, given the amount of suffering that is going on in Rutland at this moment.
“It’s just not happening quickly enough for people in Rutland. It’s just not good enough for them. I’m sorry to be so negative but when you hear of how much people are suffering, or how much they’re having to choose between paying for private dental care, paying for food on the table or shoes on their kids feed, it’s just heartbreaking.”
Cllr Ray Payne (Liberal Democrat and Green Group – Oakham South) said: “I think we need to get a grip on this and move us along a bit more quicker then we’re doing, because it doesn’t feel like there’s an urgency and if there is an urgency, it’s not getting through to action.”
The ICB’s planning manager Jo Grizzell, told the meeting that the ICB acknowledged that it ‘ had to improve’ and that ‘dental performance across Rutland isn’t the best’.
She said ‘major capacity issues’ had led to the hold up, but it had taken on a consultant to do the oral health needs assessment and the lack of an assessment had prevented other work from going on.
However the organisation has not even been able to accurately assess the situation, as the consultant Jenny Oliver said the data in the draft oral health needs assessment regarding hospital extractions in the report was unreliable and should be disregarded. She said it would be ‘dangerous’ to draw conclusions from it due to the way in which some hospitals recorded information. The data had said Rutland had the highest level of hospital extractions for 0-19 year olds.
The draft plan says there are inequalities across Leicester and Rutland in terms of availability of and access to NHS dentistry.
As part of a national dental reset, the government has come up with a series of initiatives to try and increase the number of NHS dental appointments, such as targeted funding to encourage dentists to set up in new areas, an increase in the amount dentists are paid for NHS work and also a payment for those who take on new patients.
However not one dentist has taken up the ‘golden hello in Rutland’.
The ICB’s chief operating officer Debra Mitchell said once the national impact had been realised, and the oral health needs assessment published, it would be clear what other measures are needed.
The board decided to look at how to improve the data and to bring back detailed actions to the next health and wellbeing board in January.