NHS England commissions primary care services, for example GPs, dentists and opticians. Although, for GPs (primary medical services) this is devolved to most CCGs through primary care co-commissioning.
NHS England also directly commissions ‘specialised’ services (such as treatments for rare conditions and secure mental health care), military and veteran health services and health services for people in prisons (including youth offender institutions). Some public health services are also directly commissioned by NHS England.
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126 responses from the local community
No dentistry….what a nightmare
3
Submitted by Anonymous4th January 2022
I join the continued list of persons and issues that we have with no NHS dentist available in the area. Why are we paying national insurance and taxes if we can not use the services provided. I have been struggling to find a dentist now for well over 2 years. I have had problems with my teeth which is putting both mental and physical pressures to my live. I have once again had to have an emergency appointment to help which resulted in a tooth extraction recently, options given to me were extraction or root canal. As I explained to the dentist that if choosing root canal (which is what the dentist and NHS recommend) I would need to find a dentist that can carry out the operation (as this is not deemed as emergency) and as I can not then how can I remove the pain that I am in, thus the only operation was extraction, which will no doubt cause be further issues in the future….now surely this isn’t the right thing to be doing, to top off the above why did it take over a month to get an emergency???……we do need to sort out this side of the NHS instead of the privatisation taking advantage of such the situation, people can not afford the cost of treatment privately!
I made the mistake of missing some dental appointments as a teenager. A mistake which has resulted in a decade without dental care. I am simply unable to find a practice accepting dental patients, despite scouring the NHS website and helpful services such as Healthwatch Norfolk. Whenever a dentist appears to be taking on NHS patients, they in fact have waiting lists thousands of patients long. I have been to a private dentist, but the prices are unaffordable. What would cost £60-90 through the NHS costs upwards of £400 privately. I have a mortgage and bills to pay that take priority, the NHS exists to prevent exactly this dilemma.
I would just like to add myself and my partner to the long list of those desperate to find an NHS dentist. All enquiries round the North Walsham area (as far as Norwich) seem to say no NHS, or only by referral whatever that means. My partner now has an emergency so we will try 111 this morning without any expectations! If I can't get treatment soon, I also am likely to be having an emergency in the New Year, I can feel my teeth deteriorating.
So keep up the pressure please, Healthwatch.
I will do my bit by writing to my MP.
Submitted by Collected at Healthwatch Norfolk event17th November 2021
You just can't find a dentist anywhere! We've try further than Poringland where we live and you just can't get any. I just find the whole lack of service disgusting.
Submitted by Feedback from Healthwatch Norfolk Helpdesk5th November 2021
I have a minor issue with my teeth which I don't think would qualify for emergency care, therefore I am looking for routine care to prevent the minor issue becoming a major issue. I have spent a couple of hours looking for a dentist to take me on. The NHS website says that they are required to provide a dental service but clearly the way they commission services needs to change to meet their own service needs. I did have a dentist which I went to for treatment but during COVID they called and cancelled my appointment. When I called to book and appointment they told me that I'd been dropped off their list. Since childhood I have had issues with my teeth, I have milk teeth pinned in place as I do not have some secondary teeth. I am looking at the prospect of waiting until I am in agony to get the support. I also have complex mental health concerns so the added anxiety of this is not helpful.
I want to share my our recent experience of trying to get a Dentist appointment in Norwich for my 11 year old daughter.
We moved to Norwich 4 months ago and we found it very difficult from the beginning to find an NHS Dentist and had to sign her up privately as we had no other choice. She had treatment a few months back at a local Dentist Andrew Brown in Lakenham.
This week she developed an large abscess and we rang our GP for advice and the GP at Lakenham Surgery was really unhelpful. They said gums and teeth are nothing to do with them. We rang Andrew Brown dentist who told us they would charge us £630 and they wouldn’t be able to do it for two weeks which we believe is a long wait for a child in pain.
We then rang 111 to see if they could suggest an emergency dentist, which they did. We called the emergency dentist in Norwich (which apparently covers the whole of Norfolk!) and we rang them over 100 times before someone answered. They said they couldn’t help us as it was a root canal problem. They suggested they can only take her tooth out. – The advice from Andrew Brown dentist was NOT to take the tooth out as she needs it to chew and she’s only 11.
We spoke to 111 again who suggested that we have her tooth taken out or call her previous dentist she was registered with before we moved to Norfolk as they could not refer her to be seen by anyone else.
We rang over 20 different dentists to try and get our daughter on the NHS and were told that none of them would take her on as an NHS patient.
We are now having to drive a 170 mile round trip to Hertfordshire to see an NHS dentist, and that is just for a 10 minute examination before booking further treatment , which will mean taking our daughter out of school each time we have to go back.
We are really frustrated as our daughter has had a painful abscess and we cannot get help without paying an extortionate fee that we cant afford. She is 11, surely she is entitled to NHS care in Norfolk ?
We would like further advice on how and where we can register our daughter with an NHS dentist in Norwich.
No NHS dentists. My dentist has gone private and started charging £25 a month. I can't afford this. I'm based in King's Lynn and have tried looking for dentists in Fakenham and King's Lynn and none are taking on new patients. My sister has been trying as well and the closest she could find was Essex.
I have to take a 4 hour round trip to get to my dentist in Hertfordshire. I have tried everywhere in Norfolk to get one and spent hours and hours on the phone. I rang 111 and they said to stick with the dentist I have, they gave a number for an emergency dentist who just prescribed me antibiotics.
My brother (age 66, not overly healthy) has just moved to Norwich. I’m trying to find him an NHS dentist but drawing a blank, after several phone calls.
Do you know of any dentist in Norwich or nearby which is taking on adult NHS patients?
Brother doesn’t have a car. He has a small dental problem which he’d like to get fixed before it turns in to a dental emergency.
I have been on the NHS website this morning trying to find a dentist who is taking on new NHS patients but to no avail. I have called more than half a dozen only to be told they are not taking on new patients even though some on their websites say they are. I understand it is important you are informed of this dilemma. I live in the PE32 area and have tried, Swaffham, Dereham, Fakenham and Watton.