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'I've got people telling me they're pulling their own teeth out', NHS bosses warned on Norfolk dentistry crisis




Patients trying to access NHS dental services in Norfolk are currently being directed into three neighbouring counties for care, a meeting has heard.

Although two new contracts have been awarded for new surgeries in Lynn, a report presented to county councillors has revealed a similar deal for Fakenham remains unallocated.

And health bosses have been warned they need to do more to tackle the crisis.

Checking condition of teeth with a visit to the dentist.. (54791654)
Checking condition of teeth with a visit to the dentist.. (54791654)

The scale of the continuing crisis was outlined during a meeting of the county council's health overview and scrutiny committee on Thursday.

Officials from Healthwatch Norfolk, the body which represents patients, said nearly three-quarters of the practices it surveyed had "no plans" to take on further NHS patients.

Judith Sharp, from the organisation, said five would take on children if their parents were already registered, while one would look to take on more patients in the future.

She told the meeting that dentistry had accounted for around two-thirds of all queries raised with the group over the past three months.

She added: "We're currently signposting people to Stowmarket, Ely, Lincolnshire and Lowestoft."

Although access to NHS dentistry has been a problem for several years, it has worsened in recent times.

Analysis published in January showed more than 40 dentists had stopped providing NHS services in the Norfolk and Waveney region between 2018 and 2021.

Two new services are expected to launch in Lynn this summer, following the allocation of new contracts which were announced last month.

They were among seven deals across the region put out to tender, including one in Fakenham.

But the meeting was told that the Fakenham contract, plus two others, have not been awarded at this point.

NHS officials said there is a national problem with recruiting dentists to predominantly rural or coastal areas.

The meeting also heard many dentists had left during the Covid crisis, while a proportion of dentists joining the profession now don't work in the NHS at all.

But committee member Brenda Jones said the situation was "appalling" and was affecting people's lives.

Her Labour colleague, Emma Corlett, said: "I have got people saying they are pulling their own teeth out."

And Conservative Penny Carpenter warned: "You need to convince me that it will change."

Committee chairman Alison Thomas said: "We are grateful for those of us who come to Norfolk. We just wish there were more of you."

The committee is set to write to the Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, to outline its concerns.

Mrs Thomas added that the current arrangement for NHS contracts "clearly isn't working".



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