Our findings on access to dental services during the pandemic
Dr Janet Williamson, Deputy Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services, updates on our latest insight reporting about the impact of the pandemic on access to dental services and how providers have adapted to deliver care.
In CQC’s latest COVID-19 Insight report, we’ve looked at the impact of the pandemic on access to dental services and how practices have supported people to access appropriate care.
As with all health and care services, the pandemic has created challenges for how primary dental care is delivered. However access to NHS dental care had been flagged as an issue even before the spread of COVID-19. There are clear signs that this has been compounded due to the pandemic, but we have also seen examples of dental providers responding by adopting new ways of working.
Over the last 14 months, dental providers showed agility and flexibility, as we have seen in other services. As well as preparing for potential staffing issues and responding to changes around infection prevention and control, we heard of updated triaging processes, additional clinical hours being offered, increased working with sister practices and working to identify and support the needs of vulnerable people. We saw how technology was used by dental providers to help them continue providing services during the pandemic, including procuring software and adapting systems to allow for homeworking.
However, there has been an increase in feedback from the public expressing difficulties in accessing dental care, which can have a strong impact on their health and wellbeing. While there were examples of dental services working well with other health and care providers in a community, people did not always get prompt, joined-up care.
As the sector continues to face the challenges of providing care at this difficult time, providers and the wider sector have the opportunity to influence and shape what planning and provision looks like. This includes how confidence might be restored so access to dental services is available for everyone, and how access to urgent dental care might be improved. In addition, along with others working in the health and social care system, dental professionals have a valuable role to play in advocating for people using services from within local systems and influencing decisions around commissioning and capacity. As we move to a future system of integration, it’s important to ask how we can ensure equality of access to NHS dental care, making sure the right services are available in the right places, first time.
