A revealing survey by NHS England exposes a critical shortage in NHS dental services, affecting millions.
- The survey showed nearly 6.2 million individuals failed to obtain NHS dental appointments over two years.
- The main barriers cited were practices not accepting new patients and a lack of available appointments.
- A significant portion of people, 28%, have not attempted to book an NHS dental appointment.
- New reforms and extra emergency dental appointments have been announced by the Secretary of State for Health.
The NHS England GP Patient Survey 2024 has highlighted a significant deficiency in the availability of NHS dental services, as reported by Broadstone, a consultancy firm. Their analysis indicates that out of the people who attempted to book NHS dental appointments in the past two years, nearly one-in-four—translating to 6.2 million individuals—were unsuccessful. The most frequently cited reasons for this inadequacy included dental practices not accepting new patients, mentioned by 42% of respondents, and a lack of available appointment slots, cited by 36%.
Furthermore, it was observed that 28% of surveyed individuals had not sought an NHS dental appointment at all, while 20% had not tried for over two years. Among those who opted not to pursue NHS dental care, 27% preferred private dental services, reflecting a shift towards private healthcare due to perceived accessibility challenges. Additionally, 25% of those surveyed did not attempt to book an appointment as they anticipated difficulties in securing one.
In response to these challenges, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, announced a comprehensive independent review of NHS performance. This initiative coincides with discussions held with the British Dental Association to introduce 700,000 additional emergency dental appointments and to reform the current dental contract. Brett Hill, the Head of Health & Protection at Broadstone, remarked that under the new Labour administration, these statistics underscore the urgent need to improve public access to essential primary healthcare services such as dentistry.
The survey further suggests that with increasing occurrences of ‘dental deserts,’ there is a corresponding rise in demand for private dentistry. This trend has prompted employers to increasingly incorporate dental benefits within their healthcare benefit strategies. According to Broadstone’s latest Employee Benefits Survey, more than a third of businesses that have not yet included dental insurance are contemplating its introduction within the next three years, pointing to a growing demand for such benefits.
This survey underscores the pressing demand for reforms in NHS dental services amid increasing reliance on private dental care.
