Shift To Private Dentistry Blamed For City’s Dental Crisis
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- Published: Thursday, 25 March 2021 07:39
- Written by Chris Tapper
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A whistleblower has claimed dentists removing NHS patients from their lists because they have gone private, is causing a dental crisis.
The whistleblower has claimed that Worcester, known as the ‘Faithful City,’ is ‘at crisis point’ with dental health.
The Worcester News reported the person, who requested anonymity for work-related reasons, claimed large numbers of the people in the city are currently unable to access emergency dental care.
The newspaper reported the insider as saying "Clinics are overwhelmed - large numbers of practices have gone private and removed people from their lists if they have not been in for two years.”
“Patients have not had access to routine care for over 12 months and now they cannot access emergency provisions when they need it. Patients are forced to contact GPsfor antibiotics for abscesses or they try to get help at the accident and emergency department at the hospital.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Midlands told the Worcester News "The dental sector has faced particular challenges during the pandemic due to the proximity between dental professionals and a patient’s airway, and the relatively high proportion of aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) undertaken.”
"We’re supporting dentists to see as many patients as safely as possible, including recently commissioning additional weekend activity at 91 dental practices across the Midlands region.”
"Most practices are now providing face-to-face care, but enhanced infection control and social distancing measures mean the capacity for dental practices to see patients is still restricted. Dentists continue to prioritise those needing urgent or emergency treatment, and vulnerable patients. Unfortunately, this may mean longer waits for routine check-ups.
"People should continue to contact their local dental surgery by phone for advice on dental care and treatment. Most dentists will require patients to be clinically assessed by phone or video consultation prior to being seen in the dental surgery."
In 2020, the population of Worcester was over 100,000. Worcester dentists also serve patients from a large number of outlying villages.
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