Dental service provision in Sefton care homes
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Healthwatch Sefton emailed a survey to all care homes across Sefton from January to May 2018. The aim of the survey was to investigate the experiences of dental services for residents in care homes, in terms of what worked well and what needed to be improved. Twelve care home providers completed the dental survey.
The report found that the majority of residents in home were not registered with a dentist. It was highlighted that most of the dentist practices are not easily accessible for elderly patients and that no respondents could name any dementia friendly dentists. It was reported that most dentists will not do community/home visits to see patients who are unable to leave the home.
Healthwatch Sefton recommended that the report be shared with NHS England to ensure they have access to this information and can begin to make plans for Dementia Friendly Practices. They recommended that information regarding home visit protocols and NHS dentists in Sefton be shared by NHS England. It was highlighted that feedback should be continually collected from care homes and that issues raised by members can be addressed.