NHS Dental Access Report

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Summary of report content

Healthwatch Tameside report on their feedback on access to an NHS dentist during the Covid-19 pandemic.  They received feedback from 75 from the beginning of lockdown in March up to 16 November 2020.

Nearly a third experienced cancellations of appointments at the start of lockdown, including a few being left mid-treatment.

Nearly half said they were unable to find a dentist who would provide NHS treatment. A third of those had severe pain.

As dentists started to re-open, they had a large backlog of patients waiting for appointments. Some people said they were offered private care but could not afford to pay.

Many people are still unable to access care. Dentists are not taking on new patients whilst they have so many existing patients waiting for care. At the end of September, Healthwatch Tameside rang every dentist in Tameside. Most said they were not accepting new NHS patients.

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General details

Report title 
NHS Dental Access Report
Local Healthwatch 
Healthwatch Tameside
Date of publication 
Monday, 14 December, 2020
Date evidence capture began 
Monday, 23 March, 2020
Date evidence capture finished 
Monday, 16 November, 2020
Type of report 
Report
Key themes 
Access
Cost of services
Service closure
Service delivery organisation and staffing
Waiting times and lists for treatment
Healthwatch reference number 
Rep-7987

Methodology and approach

Was the work undertaken at the request of another organisation? 
No
Primary research method used 
User stories
How was the information collected? 
Not known
If an Enter and View methodology was applied, was the visit announced or unannounced? 
N/A

Details of health and care services included in the report

Primary care services 
Dentist (non-hospital)

Details of people who shared their views

Number of people who shared their views 
75
Age group 
Not known
Gender 
Not known
Ethnicity 
Not known
Sexual orientation 
Not known
Does the information include public's views? 
Yes
Does the information include carer's, friend's or relative's views? 
Not known
Does the information include staff's views? 
No
Does the information include other people's views? 
No
What was the main sentiment of the people who shared their views? 
Negative

Outcomes and impact

Were recommendations made by local Healthwatch in the report? 
No
Does the information contain a response from a provider? 
Not known
Is there evidence of impact in the report? 
Yes
Is there evidence of impact external to the report? 
Not known
What type of impact was determined? 
Implied Impact

Network Impact
Relationships that exist locally, regionally, nationally have benefited from the work undertaken in the report
 
Implied Impact
Where it is implied that change may occur in the future as a result of Healthwatch work. This can be implied in a provider  response, press release or other source. Implied impact can become tangible impact once change has occurred.
 
Tangible Impact
There is evidence of change that can be directly attributed to Healthwatch work undertaken in the report.