Accessing NHS Dentistry in Bolton
Summary:
- Of the 311 enquiries made to our IAG service 70% were regarding dentistry. On average 30 calls are received a month about this topic and the BL1 area has been identified as the key area from which we receive most new enquiries.
- The NHS choices website is not kept up to date and does not provide information about all available dental practices in Bolton.
- The number of missed appointments to warrant ‘deregistration’ from a practice is independent, however this information must be clearly advertised in the practice.
- There was a lack of flexibility from practices with regards to personal circumstances which may cause a missed appointment i.e. hospital stays or domestic violence were seen as unacceptable reasons.
Bolton has 2 emergency dental treatment services and although formal complaints about these are minimal the overall negative attitudes of Bolton residents around dentistry is paramount.
Conclusions:
NHS dentistry is still a big issue for people living in Bolton. It is increasingly becoming difficult to signpost people to dental practices that are accepting new NHS patients. The lack of NHS dental services has left many people believing they have no choice when it comes to accessing dental treatment and they must either go private or suffer poor oral hygiene.
A number of recommendations have been suggested including accurate and updated information regarding registration and emergency dentists.
Downloads
To read all the recommendations along with the full report, click on the link below
