Dentistry in Norfolk
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The difficulty of accessing NHS dental care remains a concern for many people in Norfolk. Healthwatch Norfolk's percentage of enquiries about accessing dentistry was 42% between January 2023 and January 2024, only a slight drop since they last compiled figures on this issue for the period between January 2022 and January 2023.
No dental practices Healthwatch contacted are registering new NHS patients for care of any age in Norfolk, and one is offering a check-up for children but cannot register them as patients. Healthwatch is hearing from many patients that their practices are moving away from NHS care.
There are some improvements around accessing emergency appointments via the 111 service, but some patients are still struggling to get help.
The impact of the national Dental Recovery Plan and how it will improve things, and how the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) will tackle the issues around NHS non-emergency dental care in Norfolk, are not yet clear.