A Couple's Experience Of Dental Access Crisis Sparks Petition With Over 270k Signatures
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- Published: Friday, 19 August 2022 10:59
- Written by Peter Ingle
- Hits: 1577
A cost of living time bomb, resurgent inflation, the threat of blackouts, drought, war in Europe, and an absentee prime minister have failed to keep dental access stories from the headlines.
The BBC has reported on one man’s efforts to try and persuade the Government to act.
Josh Keeling believes dentists are in "the bleakest situation.” He has launched a petition calling for more NHS dentists after his partner suffered "agonising pain". In a report on their experience on the BBC website, Phil Gowers, from the British Dental Association was quoted, saying that dentists were facing a "disastrous" situation. He also explained the problems that NHS dentists have with the current contract limiting the amount of care that they can provide.
Josh was spurred to action after seeing his partner suffering when she had a dental emergency. Olivia Morley was reduced to begging him to “get the pliers out” when she had toothache. There was no NHS emergency dentist available within 60 miles of their Dorset home.
Mr Keeling, from Gillingham, explained that having started some treatment just before the pandemic and then moving, “she was told it would be an 18-month wait for a new NHS dentist to fix it. I just remember Olivia in absolute agony, more pain than she’d ever been in. I called all the local dentists and they said they weren’t taking any patients and to call 111."
Miss Morely added: "Every avenue we went down I just kept getting turned away. I couldn’t eat, sleep, talk, it was overwhelming. To think I could have had the pain for 18 months, it would have been hell." In the end, Miss Morely using family help and their savings, paid £600 for an emergency root canal and fillings.
"Since setting up the petition I’ve been contacted by so many people in similar or even worse situations," Mr Keeling added. The NHS and government need to do something to fix this problem."
As usual, the Department of Health’s questionable claim that it had made an extra £50m available, "to help bust the Covid backlogs" was reported. An NHS spokesperson was quoted, saying that, "The NHS recently announced the first dentistry reforms since 2006 which will support practices to improve access." They added that discussions were "ongoing" around further changes to help benefit patients and staff.
In a sign of the times on the BBC website, the report is linked to 5 other stories about the access crisis. These range from a man resorting to DIY extractions in his garden shed, to the recent extensive survey revealing the virtual unavailability of NHS appointments for new adult patients.
On the Change UK website the petition “Dental care is healthcare - we need more NHS dentists now” has received over 279,000 supporters. Josh has secured much coverage in newspapers and online, as well as encouraging supporters to lobby their MP’s.
There are many comments and apart from a few complaining of being removed from dentists “lists,” the vast majority recognise that the underlying problem is one of NHS funding.
NHS dentists?
There is no such thing as a NHS dentist.....simply dentists with a contract to provide NHS dental care. It is a matter of enough funding for enough dentists to provide the level of NHS treatments that is required.This is a government problem not a dentist problem. However the level of renumeration for the treatments to be provided, leaves dentists questioning whether they can provide the treatments economically-without the practice going into debt.
NHS dentists?
There is no such thing as a NHS dentist.....simply dentists with a contract to provide NHS dental care. It is a matter of enough funding for enough dentists to provide the level of NHS treatments that is required.This is a government problem not a dentist problem. However the level of renumeration for the treatments to be provided, leaves dentists questioning whether they can provide the treatments economically-without the practice going into debt.
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