RESIDENTS in Westbury have raised concerns over the ability to get an appointment with an NHS dentist in town, and those who have moved to the town recently have been faced with even more difficulties in seeing a dentist.
A report by Healthwatch England earlier this month revealed that patients in the county could face an 18-month waiting list for an NHS dentist.
Healthwatch England’s analysis of 8,019 people’s experiences of NHS dentistry between April 2020 and September 2021 found that four in five people report struggling to access NHS dental care, including emergency treatment.
Some dental practices have either shut down or have gone fully private and some dentists have used up their total NHS capacity and are asking people for private fees instead. The analysis also found that it is often the most vulnerable people in our society, including children, disabled people and those living in care homes, who are suffering the most.
The White Horse News reached out to residents to gauge local people’s experiences. One resident said, “We moved to Westbury back in February 2020 and have been unable to find a single NHS dentist taking on patients. We have been on waiting lists since then, but with no luck.”
Another resident said, “I used to be with the one at the White Horse Surgery until it lost its NHS status – now I honestly don’t know where to register. ! I don’t know where any NHS dentists are which aren’t completely full.”
Another said, “We have recently moved to the area and had no luck in finding an NHS dentist for the four of us.”
One reader added, “We’ve lived here for five years, and I’ve missed every brief window of opportunity to register as an NHS patient. This meant not being able to access my free dental care while pregnant unless I register with a dentist a significant drive away. Now I’m struggling to find NHS spaces for myself and my two-year-old.”
Delicate Dentistry on Hospital Road is not currently taking on any new NHS patients. The practice says it is “working to capacity and this is unlikely to change in the future.”
Haynes Road Dental on Haynes Road say, “We have a very limited contract and thus are able to accept very few patients. Our contract is limited to children, and we have recently taken on a few patients and still have space for a further ten children this fiscal year.
“We are able to treat those children we take on within a few weeks. There are relatively few practices in the area who are accepting any patients at all.”
A spokesperson for South Cliff dental practice on the High Street says, “We are currently taking on NHS and private patients at our practices. You can visit the practice to fill out forms to join us. Please call our practice or you can visit them today to get booked in for an appointment, as you will need to register as new patients to join us, which can be done today.
“There are currently waiting times for appointments, but we can register new patients who will be contacted when appointments are available in the coming weeks/months/days when they have availability.”
Several residents have also complained on social media that the official NHS website is no longer up to date, and it lists dental practices that are either no longer in business or has changed names or locations.
A local dentist added, “The problem with access to appointments was present pre-Covid and has been exacerbated by chronic underfunding of dentistry over the last 10-15 years, resulting in many dentists leaving the NHS.”
