NHS dentistry ‘like a mirage’ in parts of North Yorkshire
A watchdog has found just two dental practices in the whole county offer NHS treatment to new adult patients
Last updated 30th Sep 2022
Community leaders in areas severely hit by lack of access to dental services say access to NHS dentists in some areas has become “a mirage”.
The authority is set to examine whether national average performance figures which the NHS use to defend service provision mask areas facing little or no access to dentistry.
The move follows Healthwatch North Yorkshire highlighting how residents’ health and wellbeing is being “severely affected” by the lack of access to NHS dentistry across England’s largest county as NHS bosses face mounting calls to take action.
The watchdog said a study had revealed only two dental practices in the area with a 605,000 population offer NHS treatment to new adult patients, and those surgeries had “significant restrictions on who is allowed to register”.
It concluded being unable to access an NHS dentist is having a detrimental impact on many North Yorkshire residents’ mental and physical health.
A meeting of the authority’s Thirsk and Malton constituency committee heard communities in the Ryedale area had struggled to access dentistry as practices in the area had dropped off the NHS list, leading to them facing difficulties finding NHS provision and lengthy trips for any treatment.
The meeting heard councillors echo the calls of the council’s executive member for health for the government and dentists in the county to reconsider how it pays NHS dentists.
North Yorkshire County councillors have asked officers to produce an NHS dentistry list to highlight dentistry provision, including which surgeries are closed to new patients and the size of their waiting lists and establishing what dental services their patients are entitled to.
Councillor Keane Duncan, the authority’s executive member for highways, said it was clear some North Yorkshire residents were waiting as long as three years for an NHS dentist place.
He said just three NHS dental practices in the Ryedale area of the constituency were there to serve 55,000 patients.
The former Ryedale District Council leader said: “Clearly there is a mismatch in that provision and the demand there is for those services.
“We need to send the message that dental care is healthcare. I think it is often treated separately when actually it should be treated a core part of the NHS service.”
Coun Duncan the lack of access would result in the most vulnerable people missing out on any dentistry treatment and suffering as a result.
He said: “While there is a national issue and a county-wide issue, I do think there’s a particularly acute problem within Thirsk and Malton itself.
“At this point in time NHS dentistry is a bit of a mirage. There’s a pretence it exists but for many people it’s pretty much impossible to access. ”