CONCERNS have been raised by residents who claim that dentists in the city are turning away NHS patients in favour of those paying for the services privately.

The NHS has said the pandemic has had a huge impact on the number of patients that a dentist can see creating a 'significant backlog,' however, NHS patients should not be told that they can only access care privately.

A spokesperson for the NHS in the Midlands said: “The NHS website provides details of local dentists, although not all may be taking on new patients at this time. Patients with an urgent dental need, not able to access an NHS dentist, should contact NHS111 for advice and information on services to contact.

“The pandemic has had a huge impact on the number of patients that a dentist can see. Due to the proximity between a dental professional and a patient’s airway and the relatively high proportion of aerosol generating procedures undertaken, dentistry presents unique challenges around infection prevention and control.

“Although practices are open and offering a full range of treatments, capacity may still be restricted due to the Covid measures in place. Patients with urgent dental care needs and those in vulnerable groups are the priority, which may still mean that there are longer waits for routine check-ups."

They added: “We know that in some areas there is a significant backlog of people who will not have seen a dentist recently for routine care and Worcester faces the same challenge. NHS England & NHS Improvement – Midlands has developed a number of initiatives to further increase access, such as commissioning weekend access sessions from practices that wanted to participate.

"Our focus is firmly on supporting dentists and their teams to see as many patients as safely possible.

"People should continue to contact their local dental surgery for NHS dental care and treatment but dental practices will have different access levels due to various reasons including NHS contract size, workforce, infrastructure and so on.

"Patients are still expected to pay normal dental charges (unless exempt) but should not be charged extra. NHS patients should not be told that they can only access care privately. We are aware that some Dental practices do offer the choice of either being seen as an NHS or private patient.”

Have you had trouble getting a dentist appointment? We want to hear from you. Contact reporter Jemma Bufton by emailing jemma.bufton@newsquest.co.uk