Dental services in Suffolk: a summary of enquiries to Healthwatch Suffolk (December 2021)

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Summary of report content

Healthwatch Suffolk analysed the feedback from people struggling to find NHS dental provision. The main themes in the feedback were:

  • Help to access /Lack of access – people contacted Healthwatch to ask for help to find an NHS dentist.
  • Multiple practices – people contacting multiple practices to find an NHS appointment.
  • Pain and other symptoms - people putting up with pain and its impact on their wellbeing and mental health.
  • Affordability – expressing concerns about their inability to afford private dentistry or pay for costs they were quoted.
  • Continuation of treatment – people raising concerns about being unable to obtain continued treatment, including inability to access an urgent referral after the initial treatment had been a ‘patch’ for the problem.
  • Services for children and families – people enquiring about dental access for children and families.
  • Pregnancy - enquiries about lack of access, and rights of access, to dental care when a person is pregnant.

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General details

Local Healthwatch
Healthwatch Suffolk
Publication date
Date evidence capture began
Date evidence capture finished
Key themes
Access to services
Follow-on treatment and continuity of care
Cost and funding of services
Lifestyle and wellbeing; wider determinants of health

Methodology and approach

Was the work undertaken in partnership with another organisation?
No
Name(s) of the partner organisation(s)
None
Primary research method used
General feedback
If an Enter and View methodology was applied, was the visit announced or unannounced?
N/A

Details of health and care services included in the report

Details of health and care services included in the report
Dentist

Details of people who shared their views

Number of people who shared their views
269
Age group
Not known
Gender
Not known
Is the gender identity of people in the report the same as the sex they were assigned at birth?
Not known
Sexual orientation
Not known
Does this report feature carers?
Yes
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