NHS Devon map. Image: Devon County Council.
Nearly 60,000 patients are on the waiting list for NHS dental services in Devon of which 11,500 are children, according to an NHS Devon report to the county council health and adult care scrutiny committee.
The report says that the number of adults who have been able to access an NHS dentist in Devon has fallen to less than 40% despite a budget intended to provide dental services to half the population.
The report cites “difficulties in attracting new staff and other resource implications” as the cause of local dental practices handing back part or all of their NHS services contracts.
However anecdotal evidence suggests that repeated contract changes have made it increasingly difficult for dentists to deliver NHS services without compromising patient care.
The NHS Devon Integrated Care Board that is responsible for local dental services is attempting to commission replacement dental services, but the report says it is currently underspending on service provision because it is struggling to procure replacement providers.
