Trouble accessing a dentist?
Issues reported to the Healthwatch Trafford helpline and what to do if you have problems.
Key numbers
- April 2019 to March 2020 - we had three enquiries about dentistry
- April 2020 to December 2020 - we had 24 enquiries about dentistry, 23 were about help accessing a dentist
What have people told us?
They can't find a dentist
The majority of people got in touch because they couldn't find a dental practice to register them as a new patient. For instance:
- A caller had tried 30 practices unsuccessfully for an NHS registration. She was pregnant at the time of the call.
- Another pregnant caller had two young children, neither of whom have been able to have a check-up since they were born. Still searching for an NHS dentist.
- Due to their dentist retiring and their own mobility issues, the caller wanted to find a new dentist that was closer to home but was unable to do so.
We were also contacted because people were unhappy with the service received:
- One caller had a brother with autism and he was concerned their treatment was not right.
- A gentleman had serious oral problems, being unable to eat because of his difficulty. Tried the emergency routes as well as a local practice. Still unable to access any treatment.
What we will do?
- We will keep recording issues and providing information.
- We are raising the problems reported to us with the Local Dental Committee.
- We will share our findings with Healthwatch England, who are monitoring the issues across the country.
What can you do?
- Don't have a dentist? Find a local practice through the NHS service finder.
- Still can't find a dentist? Call NHS England's Customer Contact Centre on 0300 311 2233.
- Need urgent help in the meantime? Call 0333 332 3800 or NHS 111 for the Greater Manchester Urgent Dental Care telephony service.
- Keep sharing your experiences with us, positive and negative. The more information we have the more we can do to help!
