Investigating access to NHS dentistry in Blackpool
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Healthwatch Blackpool wanted to investigate local access to dentistry as this is an issue that they continue to hear about. Healthwatch Blackpool carried out a mystery shopping exercise in July 2024 and rang all Blackpool dental practices, using the NHS Service Search. They successfully made contact with 10 dental practices and 6 referral/emergency only. They produced a list of 5 questions to ask each dental practice to gain an understanding on NHS patient access and what services are currently available.
None of the ten dental practices in Blackpool were currently taking on new NHS patients at the time of calling. Five of these said there was no waiting list for NHS patients. The other five said that their waiting lists had closed due to capacity. None could say when they would reopen.
Only one dental practice would currently accept children under 10 as new NHS patients.
Currently, 9 dental practices only have capacity to offer private dental services, with a handful offering affordable monthly plans as an alternative.
Five dental practices and three emergency dental services advised to keep ringing around local dentists and checking their websites.