PATIENTS in distress have been struggling to access dental care in Swindon during the pandemic, a new report shows. 

Healthwatch Swindon has published its annual report revealing experiences of health and social care of 1,266 people. 

Over the past year, one of the main themes emerging from feedback gathered by the patients' watchdog was the difficulty in accessing NHS dental appointments. 

The main issues included problems in booking routine and emergency care appointments, priority being given to private patients, and insufficient information on dental surgery websites. 

It accounted for nearly 12 per cent of the feedback they received. 

The team has received calls from people unable to find an NHS dentist as they suffered with ongoing pain.

Some said they were not able to eat properly or experienced weight loss and depression. 

It reads: “Crucially, patients who have been unable to access treatment they desperately need, need to be able to do this as a matter of urgency and in such as way that they are not faced with crippling costs.

“Thanks to people sharing their experiences of dentistry we have been able to monitor what has been happening in Swindon and to use what we have been hearing to feed into the regional picture in the South West, as well as the national picture, of a growing crisis in dental care.”

Staff and volunteers have been calling practices to check on availabilities.

The report says: “We have been updating our website with this information, as well as helping individuals book an NHS dental appointment, on the rare occasion one has been available.

"We have been attending the South West Dental Network group quarterly meetings and contributed to a presentation collating feedback from all Healthwatch across the South West.”

Healthwatch Swindon development officer Jo Osorio said: “While we can’t magic more NHS dentists, our feedback goes regionally and nationally to the NHS to influence their commissioning of dental services.”

They will be meeting the NHS chief dental officer for England to “emphasise the crisis which needs to be tackled”.

Jo added: “As more change for health and social care services is on the horizon, it is as important as ever that local people give Healthwatch their feedback about the experience they’ve had – good or less good.

“We use that local knowledge in our reports to the planners and providers of services to influence improvement where it’s needed and give praise where it’s due.”

The group is urging more patients to share their views and experiences to help them improve the services.

To read the full report visit www.healthwatchswindon.org.uk