No dentist surgeries in Sefton are accepting adult NHS patients.
The situation is leaving people struggling to access dental treatment and behind an ongoing increase in calls to the borough’s Healthwatch about access to dentistry issues.
That's according to a report produced by Healthwatch into key issues raised by patients, which was discussed at a meeting of the council’s adult social care and health scrutiny committee, which met earlier this week.
READ MORE: Woman saves £400 on electricity bill by switching off energy 'guzzler'
Healthwatch officials said 44% of calls they received in November related to dentists.
In addition, a mapping exercise carried out borough-wide found adults have no options in the borough to receive NHS treatment.
Several surgeries do allow new patients – but only if they are willing to pay privately.
Some dentist surgeries also have long waiting lists. Hoghton Street dental practice currently has a waiting list of 2,500 people, while Elbow Lane dental practice has a waiting list of over 1,000 people.
The situation is only marginally better when it comes to registering children.
According to the report, which refers to a mapping exercise carried out by Healthwatch into the state if access to dentistry in Sefton, there are only four practices in the whole of Sefton who are willing to register children for NHS treatment.
These practices are located in Chu & Tsao Dental Group in Litherland, Hightown dental practice, Hightown, Healthy Smiles in Maghull and Crown Dental Surgery in Birkdale however do not all offer the same level of access.
For Crown Dental surgery, children can only be registered if their parents are signed up to a private dental treatment at the site.
This is also the case at some of the other sites that do no accept children. According to Healthwatch there are several surgeries which “may register” some children of parents who are already patients, although the criteria around this is not listed.
Healthwatch have produced a list of dentists, showing those that may or may not accept patients, in response to the huge demand for information about access to dental treatment.
NHS England has been helping to refer some patients for urgent treatment at supporting practice outside of the borough, notably in Liverpool, with Healthwatch adding that it meets regular with NHS England for updates and to discuss a major change which will be coming to dentistry next year.
Services will be being transferred to the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, with hopes this will lead to improvements in the provision and availability of dentists across the borough and beyond.
READ NEXT:
Woman transforms stranger's life after buying him cone of chips
No time for silence: Everton fans are right to demand answers from the top
Man accused of 'touching' teen killer's girlfriend before being beaten to death
Pub's perfect response after dog 'ruins' customer's birthday meal
Thug 'lost it' as he strangled, punched and bit police officers
Dad 'surprised' no one followed him when he fled court to Southport
