Sheffield health chiefs worried residents will struggle to see a dentist amid backlog during Covid lockdown

Councillors in Sheffield are worried patients will struggle to see a dentist amid a backlog of appointments and confusion.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Many patients believe they are registered with a dentist, in the same way as a GP surgery, but dental practices don’t register patients, they just have regular ones.

Dentists have prioritised urgent cases during the pandemic but so other patients have now gone a year or more without a check-up.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Coun Adam Hirst told a Sheffield Council scrutiny meeting: “I’m a bit confused about this idea of regular patients and registered patients. If you go on the NHS website about dentists taking on patients, isn’t that registering with one?”

Lucy Davies of Healthwatch SheffieldLucy Davies of Healthwatch Sheffield
Lucy Davies of Healthwatch Sheffield

Lucy Davies of Healthwatch Sheffield agreed. She said: “The language is really difficult and doesn’t match people’s understanding – people think they are registered with a dentist.

“That’s reflected back to them when they ring a practice and the language about registering is used back to them.”

Emma Wilson, of Yorkshire and Humber NHS England, said it was a problem which health chiefs “grappled with”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Practices do not register patients, they have regular patients on their books and that’s a really difficult message. Some of this is going to be the challenge that we have coming out of this pandemic,” she said.

“I struggled with it an awful lot. Many of our dental colleagues will say that generally, regular patients come out with an appointment for a six month checkup and therefore they are regular to that practice.

“I think this is going to be very difficult for us as we move out to this pandemic because by definition, most of us now have not been seen regularly within the last year to 18 months.

“Before this we said to practices, please make sure that once you have a patient under your care, they are clear that they’re under your care. The regular patients were aware and practices were confident.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But I do think it’s a problem that we have as we come out of this pandemic and it’s something that will be a case nationally.”

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.