“The fact is that people literally have nowhere else to turn. Many have tried every dentist for perhaps a 20-mile radius and none have been able to take them on”
The future of NHS dentistry in Northern Ireland "hangs in the balance" as years of tighter margins and punishing schedules has forced many into the private sector, it has been claimed.
“Everyone needs access to timely NHS dentistry, but when people in even higher risk groups don’t have this then you know the situation has become extremely serious. The prospect of the entire privatisation of dentistry gets closer with every dentist who has to turn away an NHS patient. This would be a disaster for everyone on a low to middle income.
Ms Sugden said the large-scale abandonment of health service work by dentists had been inevitable but the warnings had gone unheeded. “I retain some hope that all is not lost and that steps can be taken to rescue this essential part of our health service. But these steps must be significant. They must be taken now, and must be taken with or without a functioning Executive or Assembly, because, sadly, that is the situation we are in.”
In a statement, a DoH spokesperson said the coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on general dental services, with reduced activity, and therefore capacity, across the industry. However they add that there has been considerable improvement in the last 12 months with overall activity increasing from 60% in January 2022 to 84% in January 2023 when compared with the equivalent month prior to the pandemic.
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