Agenda item - Member Involvement

There is a Member Question from Cllr Grimshaw (copy attached)

21.1    Cllr Grimshaw submitted a member question. As Cllr Grimshaw was unable to attend the meeting in person, the Chair read out the question on her behalf:

I would like to know how many people have been removed from NHS dentists list of patients due to non-attendance in the Covid period?

How many dentists currently have spaces for new registrations in the Brighton area as I have found none available and waiting lists are closed?

21.2    The Chair told members that she had passed these questions to NHS England dental commissioners and had received the following response:

Patients no longer register with NHS dentists like they do with GPs, though many dental practices do hold lists of patients that they consider are associated with their practice.  Because these lists are not held by the NHS and only by the practices themselves, it is unfortunately not possible to say how many patients have been removed from dentists’ lists at any time.

Patients wishing to find a new dentist should contact the Sussex Dental Helpline on 0300 123 1663 or visit https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist .

21.3    The Chair also told members that Cllr Grimshaw had submitted a supplementary question, which would be passed onto the dental commissioners for a response:

Firstly, are there any dental surgeries in the city who are taking on new NHS patients? When I rang the number provided, I was told there were no practices in the city taking on new NHS patients and I have heard this same problem from several other sources.

Also, the Health and Wellbeing Board was told that the new service established in Moulsecoomb was going to address this shortfall so secondly can you let me know if this service is up and running with a full complement of dental practitioners and why they aren’t taking on NHS patients?