NHS patients looking to register to a new dentist in Leeds face a four year wait amid the dental crisis across the country.
We called 16 dentists across the city. Only two were taking new NHS patients but one said patients would be placed on a four year waiting list.
While three didn't answer, the rest of the private patients could be seen within a week but confirmed that NHS patients faced a longer wait.
Read more: GMB viewers in tears as they praise Leeds Rhinos 'legend' Rob Burrow after 'inspirational' interview
According to one of the dentists' receptionists: “NHS patients will be put on a four year waiting list but if there’s a private option, patients could be seen within a couple of weeks.”
To try to find a dentist which is accepting new NHS patients, many people make use of the NHS Choices website which can be accessed here but some of the information has not been updated in weeks and some even months.
Earlier this year, NHS England announced £8.6 million to provide extra dental appointments across Yorkshire and the North East with £41,367,000 going to other regions out of a £50 million national fund.
The British Dental Association (BDA) however, said these funds needed to be just the start to tackle the industry’s critical problems.
According to the BDA, there is not enough time for the funding to be used effectively as it is only available until the end of the NHS financial year in March as dentists still struggle with capacity issues due to the pandemic.
The chairman of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, Shawn Sandalwood, said: “Any additional funding is needed recognition of the huge backlogs facing NHS dentistry.
“After a decade of cuts a cash-starved service risks being offered money that can’t be spent. Hard-pressed practices are working against the clock, and many will struggle to find capacity ahead of April for this investment to make a difference.
“Until today not a penny of the government’s multi-billion-pound catch-up programme had reached dentistry. This is progress, but must be just the start if we are to rebuild a service millions depend on.”
Read next:
