Access to NHS dental services in Hertfordshire
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Following the outcomes of a joint project between Healthwatch Hertfordshire and Public Health locally, ‘Access to NHS Dental Services in Hertfordshire 2016’ report, Healthwatch conducted an Enter and View visiting Programme into a percentage of randomly selected NHS Dental Practices within 5 districts in Hertfordshire. They visited 28 dental practices altogether.
Dental practices responded positively to the recommendations from the visits. These covered the physical environment, signage, complaints handling, patient feedback, information access, communication needs, medical emergencies, promoting oral health and safeguarding. It was suggested by the Hertfordshire Local Dental Committee that they would welcome a self-audit checklist based on the Enter and View visits so that all dental practices could benefit from the project.
The checklist covers the following issues:
- Information on waiting room noticeboards
- Content and layout of public websites
- Completion of NHS website
- Staff photos and name badges
- Visible external information
- Complaints handling
- Obtaining feedback from patients
- Communication and support needs
- Physical access – both internal and external