Research carried out by a patient representative charity has revealed that access to dental care in Wales has improved significantly.
The Patients’ Association praised the efforts of health boards across Wales for their “innovative” solutions to problems associated with access to NHS dentists. The Hywel Dda Local Health Board was the most impressive example of improvement in this area, with a staggering increase of over forty thousand registered patients since 2006.
Health Ministers in Wales have recently announced that NHS dental prices will once again be frozen; this is the fourth consecutive year that fees have remained the same. The freeze is a means of further improving access to services across Wales and ensuring patients get good value dental care; prices are now amongst the lowest in the UK.
The changes in Wales came as a result of a dire situation, which resulted in patients having to wait for long periods of time for treatment, as well as having to travel significant distances to see an NHS dentist; people living in rural areas were particularly affected by the scarcity of NHS dentists, with some patients having to travel up to 100 miles to see a dentist.
Since shocking figures were released in 2005, NHS boards across Wales have been working hard to improve services and encourage more dentists to work in rural areas of the country. Now, there are more NHS dentists working in Wales than ever before and several areas have reported cuts in waiting lists and increases in patient numbers. Representatives from the Patients’ Association are delighted with the work done by the NHS in Wales and have welcomed the new, improved services in the region.
Despite the positive outlook, health representatives are aware of the need for continued investment to ensure the residents from all areas of Wales profit from NHS funding; according to Welsh health minister, Edwina Hart, the NHS in Wales will continue to work tirelessly until every citizen has access to the services they deserve.
