UK - Yorkshire Dental health worries
Dental health worries: PCT bosses reply
By Neil Hudson
Health chiefs have responded to calls for a series of measures to improve the dental health of people – especially children – in North Kirklees.
As Monday's YEP reported, a panel of Kirklees councillors drew attention to the fact that Batley still had one of the worst dental health records in the county - three years after a report identified the problem. Children in the town have an average of five fillings by the age of five, compared to one nationally. Waiting lists for dentists were also long, with 3,500 people waiting up to a year.
The panel's recommendations included screening children, increasing the number of dental nurses and stopping dentists striking people off registers for missed appointments.
It also cited the problem of missed appointments, after one surgery reported 94 in a month. A spokeswoman for the Kirklees Primary Care Trust (PCT) said: "One of the most concerning issues is the volume of patients who fail to attend appointments or give less than 24 hours notice to cancel one.
"If a patient fails to attend two appointments, without notifying the practice or giving adequate notice, they may be removed from the list. The discretion remains with the dental practice, as they clearly have the patient records; however the PCT will support practices who remove patients provided they can demonstrate the reason."
On the lack of dental nurse training places in Kirklees, she said: "The PCT is working with course providers to ensure that sufficient training places are made available in different venues to those still in need of some training."
On plans to screen children, it said it was developing healthy eating policies, education programmes and preventive fluoride varnishes applied to children's teeth at dental practices. Responding to council criticisms that the PCT did not know the number of private and NHS dentists in its area, it said: "The PCT does not have information relating to patients attending private dental practices, as we deal with the provision of NHS care. We know there are 158 dentists in Kirklees."
"Picture of health in 2005" PDF file for North Kirklees
By Neil Hudson
Health chiefs have responded to calls for a series of measures to improve the dental health of people – especially children – in North Kirklees.
As Monday's YEP reported, a panel of Kirklees councillors drew attention to the fact that Batley still had one of the worst dental health records in the county - three years after a report identified the problem. Children in the town have an average of five fillings by the age of five, compared to one nationally. Waiting lists for dentists were also long, with 3,500 people waiting up to a year.
The panel's recommendations included screening children, increasing the number of dental nurses and stopping dentists striking people off registers for missed appointments.
It also cited the problem of missed appointments, after one surgery reported 94 in a month. A spokeswoman for the Kirklees Primary Care Trust (PCT) said: "One of the most concerning issues is the volume of patients who fail to attend appointments or give less than 24 hours notice to cancel one.
"If a patient fails to attend two appointments, without notifying the practice or giving adequate notice, they may be removed from the list. The discretion remains with the dental practice, as they clearly have the patient records; however the PCT will support practices who remove patients provided they can demonstrate the reason."
On the lack of dental nurse training places in Kirklees, she said: "The PCT is working with course providers to ensure that sufficient training places are made available in different venues to those still in need of some training."
On plans to screen children, it said it was developing healthy eating policies, education programmes and preventive fluoride varnishes applied to children's teeth at dental practices. Responding to council criticisms that the PCT did not know the number of private and NHS dentists in its area, it said: "The PCT does not have information relating to patients attending private dental practices, as we deal with the provision of NHS care. We know there are 158 dentists in Kirklees."
"Picture of health in 2005" PDF file for North Kirklees
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