Only one in three practices in Manchester accepting new child patients
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- Published: Tuesday, 16 September 2014 07:34
- Written by News Editor
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An investigation by the Manchester Evening News has revealed that only one in three Manchester dental practices is taking on new child patients. The newspaper revealed its findings a month after statistics from the NHS were published, showing that children in Manchester have some of the poorest standards of oral health in the country.
The lack of access may result in patients travelling longer distances to see a dentist or even paying for private dental care, said the paper.
Leah Elcock, from Healthwatch Bolton, said that there is a worry that problems now will result in a rising number of children requiring treatment in the future. She added that Healthwatch Bolton is working with NHS England to try and find solutions to issues with access.
A spokeswoman for NHS England told the newspaper that access to dental care in Manchester was not a major issue at present and significant improvements have been made in the region thanks to the introduction of a programme called ‘Baby Teeth Do Matter’, which was launched to improve access. NHS England added: ‘However, parents have a responsibility to register their child and take them for regular appointments and often this is the problem, rather than children being unable to get an appointment.’
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