A new digital service to help make it easier to find an NHS
dentist is being been rolled out across Wales.
The Dental Access Portal provides a central platform for people
to register their interest in NHS dentistry and for health boards
to allocate places for routine NHS dental treatment.
The service will provide a clear picture of the scale of demand
for NHS dental services and will mean people no longer need to
call multiple dental surgeries to try to find an NHS dentist.
To apply through the Dental Access Portal, people
must:
- Be aged 16 or over (parents/guardians can apply for under
16s)
- Not have received routine dental treatment on the NHS in the
last four years
- Live at an address in Wales for more than six months of the
year or attend a Welsh GP practice.
Speaking as the new service goes live across Wales, Health
Secretary said: “Access to NHS
dentistry is not where we or the public want it to be.
“This new service will help people who may not have seen a
dentist for some time get access to routine NHS appointments.
“Since the trial began in Powys, thousands of people have already
been added to the list and will be allocated an NHS dentist as
appointments become available.”
Warren Tolley, dental director at Powys Teaching Health Board,
which was the first part of Wales to trial the new portal, said:
“Our experience has been extremely positive. The interface is
very user friendly, allowing people to quickly enter their
details, and the admin function has made allocating people to a
dental practice quick and easy.”
The new dental access portal will be run by Digital Health and
Care Wales (DHCW).
Sam Hall, director of primary care, community and mental health
digital services at DHCW said: “The development of the Dental
Access Portal means we now have a national platform that can
provide a clearer picture of demand for routine NHS Wales dental
services.
“Allowing people to enrol themselves or people they care for
using one online system simplifies and makes fairer the process
of registering an interest with an NHS dentist for everyone in
Wales.”
added: “Capturing this
information in one place will have enormous benefits; it will
provide health boards with a clear understanding of need in their
area and enable them to manage the allocation of people to dental
practices as capacity allows.
“For the public it will remove the need for them to have to
contact multiple practices, providing an equitable and fairer
system of access to all.”
Anyone who is already a patient at an NHS dental practice should
call them directly for any routine or emergency dental
appointments.
If you don't currently have an NHS Wales dentist and you need:
-
Urgent dental treatment, please visit the
NHS 111 Wales
website for more information.
-
Routine dental treatment, you can apply for a
place online via the Dental Access
Portal. If you are eligible and you apply, you will be
contacted when an appointment becomes available.
