People in Norfolk are being asked for their experiences in accessing NHS non-emergency dental care.
Healthwatch Norfolk, which gathers the health and social care experiences of people, has launched a survey to find out more about the challenges that people are facing.
The survey will analyse how easy it is to:
► Get dental care for a child
► Book an emergency appointment through the 111 service
► Get out-of-hours support.
Alex Stewart, chief executive of Healthwatch Norfolk, said: “We recognise that there are a number of challenges in providing NHS dental services, and health bosses have said it will take them time to implement a lot of them.
“But we are keen to see progress on some of the key parts of their long-term dental plan and also share the latest situation affecting people in Norfolk when it comes to receiving dental care.”
Earlier this year, the independent body, which champions healthcare in the county, carried out a preliminary study to look at the availability of dental care.
Its findings found that none of the practices that were contacted were currently registering new NHS patients, and that 43 per cent of inquiries were from people unable to access NHS dental care – the same figure as the previous year.
The online survey can be completed at healthwatchnorfolk.co.uk or by calling 0808 168 9669.
The deadline is July 26.
