NHS dental workforce data gaps

7 items 1 source

Inadequate routine data collection on NHS dental workforce numbers, activity, and demand, hindering workforce planning.

NHS dental workforce data gaps has been flagged across 1 independent accountability source:

7 PFD reports

This theme has been identified in one data source. As more data is added, cross-references may emerge.

Concerns: A lack of child-specific screening tools and NICE guidance for pulmonary thromboembolism in the UK disadvantages clinicians, potentially leading to missed diagnoses and treatment delays in children.

Concerns: The absence of a properly managed and funded national register for Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula (TOF) cases likely hinders improved outcomes and survival rates.

Concerns: The General Dental Council's practice of publishing extensive, detailed allegations on its website for unconcluded cases can cause significant mental health distress to practitioners who are contesting them.

Concerns: Significant backlogs are delaying patient appointments, and the absence of a national protocol for dentists to include photographs with referrals hinders triage accuracy, risking urgent cases being missed.

Concerns: The NHS lacks a system for tracking non-cancer outpatient appointments, unlike cancer cases. Implementing such a system could prevent unnecessary deaths and improve administrative efficiency.

Concerns: The pathology department lacked systems for tracking samples and documenting clinician communications, causing delays and unclear chronologies. Incompatible IT systems between trusts and national pathologist shortages also contributed to backlogs.

Concerns: Significant national delays in X-ray reporting due to a shortage of qualified radiologists pose a risk to patient care across the UK.