Access to NHS dentists 'still a concern' in county

Healthwatch Norfolk said access to NHS non-emergency dental care was no better than it was 12 months ago

A county's dental practices have waiting lists of up to 6,000 people, a patient group has found.

Healthwatch Norfolk said none of the 52 practices it called was registering new NHS patients.

In its annual report, the group said accessing dentistry on the health service remained "a concern for many people".

In February, the Department of Health and Social Care unveiled plans and £200m of funding to improve services across England.

Healthwatch Norfolk said access to NHS non-emergency dental care was no better than it was 12 months ago.

It also noted one in five practices surveyed did not have the capacity to take on private patients.

Chief executive Alex Stewart said: "Lack of access to NHS dental care remains one of the subjects we hear more about than anything else when we are talking to communities around the county."

Sadie Parker, director of primary care at NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, said in January staff were "doing all we can" to improve the situation.

"Since we took on commissioning responsibility for dental services last April, we have been working hard to understand the landscape, and to understand where we can make a difference," she said in a statement issued by the board.

"It's not going to be easy, and it's not going to happen overnight."