Dentistry group with surgeries in Beccles, Stowmarket and Lowestoft adds voice on industry crisis
A Suffolk dentistry group has added its voice to the cry of issues in the industry, saying the NHS business model is unsustainable.
The Dental Design Studio, which has three surgeries in Beccles, as well as others in Stowmarket and Lowestoft, says the NHS business model is increasingly difficult to navigate for practices.
And campaign group Toothless in Suffolk is bemoaning government inaction over much-needed changes to NHS dentistry.
No surgeries within a 23 mile radius of Lowestoft or a 20 mile radius of Beccles are accepting new adult patients for NHS treatment, while one surgery in a 15 mile radius of Stowmarket is accepting new patients.
Dr. Jeff Sherer is the clinical director of The Dental Design Studio, and said the dentistry crisis in Suffolk is quite pressing.
Dr. Sherer said: “We’re a health provider, but we’re also a small business.
“Different practices are paid different rates for the same NHS treatment, for example we have a surgery in Lincolnshire where we get paid £36 to do an NHS checkup, whereas we have another practice where we get paid £25.80.
“This makes it more difficult to attract dentists as they will go to the practices that will get more for the NHS money; even our Beccles practices, which are within five minutes of each other, get paid different rates.”
The Dental Design Studio has a contract for NHS treatment and accepts exemptions for those who have access to care free of charge, however its contract is currently maxed out.
Dental practices only have a quota of so many patients, which they cannot exceed as part of their NHS contracts, which is why so many surgeries are not taking on new patients.
Dr. Sherer also mentioned the difficulties Brexit has caused in the industry, which now makes it increasingly costly to attract dentists from abroad.
He said: “To come and work in the UK dentists now need a visa and sponsorship, so to take on a dentist we have to pay several thousands of pounds, and it’s not money that we get back.
“For a lot of practices that is a barrier, and even then the road to NHS dentistry is challenging as they need to get a performer number to do NHS treatment, which takes 12 weeks to get, and they must also be monitored by a mentor who has to be present 60 per cent of the time they are working.”
Dr. Sherer stated that to practice privately, dentists do not need to go through any of these hurdles, and have the capability to earn more as they are able to charge what they deem to be appropriate, whereas NHS prices are fixed.
He added that he recognised a lot of people cannot afford private dental care, which is why The Dental Design Studio has maintained all of its NHS contracts.
Mark Jones, from Toothless in Suffolk, took aim at Rishi Sunak for the issue.
He said: “An increasing number of NHS dental patients in Beccles are being refused access to treatment, much like in hundreds of other towns and villages in East Anglia and beyond.
“Successive governments' complicity in the managed decline of NHS dentistry is to blame - last year, when his party held leadership elections, Rishi Sunak pledged to restore NHS dentistry.
"However, the Prime Minister made no mention of keeping that promise in his speech at Conservative Party Conference; despite all the money, power, and influence they have at their disposal, Westminster governments have declined to take actions that will help families in desperate need of NHS dental care.
“Our fight to demand that everyone be given access to an NHS dentist continues until that day comes."
A government blog on dentistry says it is investing more than £3bn a year to deliver NHS dentistry, which also states there was an increase of 23.2 per cent in courses of treatment delivered last year (32.5m courses)
A spokesman for NHS Suffolk and North Essex Integrated Care Board said: “The ICB took on commissioning responsibility for NHS dental services at the beginning of April, and we are determined to improve access, particularly as the local population continues to expand.
“It is well known though that increasing the availability of NHS dental appointments and the recruitment of dental professionals is a challenge affecting the whole country, not only Suffolk.
“However, we are already working hard with our partners and have recently announced a collaboration with the University of Suffolk which aims to offer an extra 18,000 hours of NHS-only dental appointments; we will continue to do all we can to improve the NHS dentistry offer locally.”
Healthwatch Suffolk are also hot on the issue, and have made moves to try and improve access to patients.
CEO Andy Yacoub said: “Our role as a local Healthwatch is to make sure health leaders responsible for oral and dental care services continue to be aware of how poor access to NHS treatment is having an impact on people’s lives.
“We have been readily sharing people’s lived experiences and concerns with leaders tasked with addressing access challenges to NHS dental care. Namely, two local dental task forces covering Suffolk and north east Essex and Norfolk and Waveney respectively.
“It is positive that we have started to see some localised action to make things better, but the national nature of this crisis means there is a long way to go before we see widespread improvement.”
