NHS dental workforce data gaps

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

169 items 8 sources
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Where this theme appears

NHS dental workforce data gaps has been flagged across 8 independent accountability sources:

7 PFD reports 79 committee recs 3 PPO recs 4 NAO recs 3 IMB reports 7 IMB recs 21 PHSO decisions 45 LGO/SPSO decisions

When the same issue appears across inquiries, coroner reports, and regulators independently, it indicates a recurring issue across the public record.

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Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.

William Harnell
22 Sep 2015 · Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon
Concerns: Significant national delays in X-ray reporting due to a shortage of qualified radiologists pose a risk to patient care across the UK.
Response (Plymouth Hospital NHS Trust): Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust has reviewed processes so that all Emergency Department films and inpatient films between Sunday am and Friday 5pm are reported within 24 hours. They have also …
Response (Department of Health): The Department of Health acknowledges the concerns regarding delays in X-ray reporting and highlights actions being taken by Health Education England to increase the number of radiologists.
Response (william harnell): Cornwall Council is asking for guidance to be produced and disseminated to staff regarding timely placements for people who need such placements.
Responded
Robert Wrinch
25 Jul 2018 · Manchester (South)
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.
Overdue
Stephen Barton
01 Oct 2021 · Staffordshire South
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.
Overdue
Mark Jones
03 Feb 2022 · Manchester South
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.
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The Chief Dental Officer will reinforce the importance of good referral practice in future communications on oral cancer to the dental profession and commissioners, and will cascade similar communication and …
Responded
Barry Lall
15 Aug 2023 · Central and South East Kent
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.
Response (General Dental Council): The GDC is undertaking a review of its policy on publishing Interim Order determinations and holding hearings in public, aiming to balance public interest with the interests of the registrant, …
Responded
Boycie Chatterton
27 Nov 2023 · Inner West London
Concerns: The absence of a properly managed and funded national register for Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula (TOF) cases likely hinders improved outcomes and survival rates.
Overdue
Lilly Proctor
01 May 2024 · West Yorkshire (Eastern)
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.
Response (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence): NICE will consider the issues raised in the report through its prioritisation board to determine if guidance should be developed in this area; decisions will be published on the NICE …
Response (RCPCH): RCPCH has shared the report with its Emergency Care Committee to inform its review of Emergency Care Standards, will incorporate learnings into relevant courses, and will share information and suggestions …
Responded
#9 —
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: The threadbare provision of NHS funded dental care is a further example of a failure to provide preventative or protective routine care leading to more acute health problems.24 NHS England, rather than ICSs, remains responsible for most of NHS dentistry …
Gov response: 6.1 The government agrees with the committee’s recommendation Recommendation implemented 6.2. Securing recovery of dental access is a key NHS priority. The pandemic had a significant impact on the delivery of dental services and NHS …
Accepted
#6 —
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: NHS funded dental care is in crisis in some parts of the country, and NHS England’s failure to ensure people can access routine dental care is leading to more acute dental health problems. NHS England, rather than ICSs, remains responsible …
Gov response: The government agrees with the committee’s recommendation 6.2. Securing recovery of dental access is a key NHS priority. The pandemic had a significant impact on the delivery of dental services and NHS England is taking …
Accepted
#31 — NHS dental workforce maldistribution creates shocking regional inequalities in access to care.
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: It is also clearly the case that NHS dental workforce issues are much more pronounced in some parts of England than others and that this is leading to some shocking regional inequalities in access to dental care.92 At the lowest …
Gov response: 1.5 Reforming the dental contract needs careful consideration and this will take time. In the meantime, the government is addressing the immediate challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care by delivering 700,000 extra …
Accepted
#29 — NHS dental workforce declines, facing over 5,500 unfilled vacancies nationally
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: The NAO reported that in 2023–24 there were 24,193 dentists providing some NHS dental care in England, a 2% decline on the total since 2019–20.87 NHSE data outlines that there is a large workforce gap that exists in NHS dentistry, …
Gov response: 1.5 Reforming the dental contract needs careful consideration and this will take time. In the meantime, the government is addressing the immediate challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care by delivering 700,000 extra …
Partially Accepted
#3 — Publish updated land value estimates to support effective land value capture reforms.
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation: Any reforms to land value capture should also be considerate of the wider tax system, to balance public needs and equitable charges on development. To support this work, the Government should publish updated land value estimates, which were last published …
Gov response: 30. The Government recognises that negotiating s106 planning obligations can increase costs for LPAs and developers. It is already the case that planning practice guidance on planning obligations encourages LPAs to use and publish standard …
Accepted
#28 — Current UDA-contract system unfit for purpose in NHS dental services.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: The current UDA-contract system is not fit for purpose, and urgent reform is needed to boost recruitment and retention in NHS dental services. We will return to this issue in a forthcoming inquiry into dental services.
Not Addressed
#32 — DHSC and NHSE initiatives seek to improve dental workforce numbers and distribution.
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: DHSC and NHSE have begun some strands of work that might usefully improve the workforce situation if they are fully implemented. For example, there is a commitment in the NHS long–term workforce plan to increase training places for dentists by …
Gov response: 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 6.2 In Spring 2024, the department ran a 6-week consultation on a ‘tie-in’ to NHS dentistry for newly qualified dentists. The department is in the process of …
Not Addressed
#17 — Limited progress and insufficient data for evaluating other dental recovery plan initiatives
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: In terms of the other initiatives, NHSE confirmed that it is too early to say whether the uplift to £28 minimum UDA value has had any impact.46 It said that it will only be after the year end that data …
Gov response: 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2025 2.2 NHSE is carrying out analysis of the main initiatives which were planned to result in additional appointments being delivered: the New …
Accepted
#16 — Conflicting data on new patient numbers and high cost of the New Patient Premium
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: NHSE did tell us that “roughly 2.7 million new patients” had come through during the year so far, which they claimed was “on track with what we would have expected” based on last year.44 However, DHSC and NHSE published information …
Gov response: 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2025 2.2 NHSE is carrying out analysis of the main initiatives which were planned to result in additional appointments being delivered: the New …
Accepted
#6 — Publish dental graduate tie-in response and outline plans to attract and retain NHS dental professionals.
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: Without a workforce sufficiently supported to deliver NHS dental care, there will be no future for NHS dentistry and DHSC and NHSE have not yet done enough to address workforce issues. The total number of dentists delivering some NHS dental …
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. dentists is a key part of the government’s ambition to reform the dental contract. This work is underway but will take time. Whilst the new dental contract is …
Accepted
#3 — Explain how DHSC and NHSE will strengthen dental analytical capabilities and implement business-critical changes in practice.
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: DHSC and NHSE’s modelling of what might be achieved, and how much this would cost was wrong and it took too long to identify the error, raising wider concerns about the quality assurance processes in place for such plans. DHSC …
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. analytical work supporting the modelling of dental contract changes and reform. In addition, NHSE are undertaking a lessons learnt exercise to fully understand the key causes of the …
Accepted
#10 —
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: However, NHS England was unable to tell us how many more dentists it expected these reforms to produce, or by when they would appear. It told us that a sustainable solution required further engagement with the dental profession on the …
Gov response: 6.1 The government agrees with the committee’s recommendation Recommendation implemented 6.2. Securing recovery of dental access is a key NHS priority. The pandemic had a significant impact on the delivery of dental services and NHS …
Accepted
#13 —
Petitions Committee
Recommendation: Free dental care is an important benefit that most pregnant and new mothers have been unable to access as the result of the pandemic. The Government should extend maternity dentist provision for new and expectant mothers affected by the pandemic …
Gov response: The Government recognises that parents play a key role in children and young people’s mental health. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published guidance for parents and carers on supporting children and …
Not Accepted
#27 — Significant pay gap between NHS and private dentistry causes under-provision of care
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: DHSC told us that even with these uplifts to UDA rates, there is still a large gap between what dentists are earning through NHS work compared with the larger amounts they can make in the private sector.80 It described this …
Gov response: 6.5 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 6.6 Incentivising dentists to carry out more NHS work and improving the retention of NHS dentists is a key part of the government’s ambition to reform the …
Not Addressed
#25 — NHS dental contract uses Units of Dental Activity to measure treatment complexity
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: Under the current NHS dental contract, dentists are contracted to deliver a certain number of Units of Dental Activity (UDAs). Based on current treatment bands, there are six different levels of UDAs that a treatment can attract depending on the …
Gov response: 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 5.2 The government is conducting analysis on the ‘actual costs’ of providing dental care and engaging with the BDA on this work, which the government expects will …
Not Addressed
#22 — Integrated Care Boards hold delegated responsibility and flexibilities for local dental service commissioning
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: Responsibility for commissioning dental services was delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) in April 2023.62 Within the national dental contractual framework, ICBs have some flexibilities that NHSE says should help them to tailor services to meet specific population needs.63 This …
Gov response: 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented: April 2025 4.2 Whilst NHSE sought to engage ICBs and regional colleagues in the development of the Dental Recovery Plan (DRP) NHSE acknowledge that there …
Partially Accepted
#20 — Additional dental recovery plan costs deemed affordable due to significant budget underspends
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: The £200 million assumed cost of the dental recovery plan was to be drawn from expected underspends in the dental budget for 2024–25.57 As there was an under–spend of £392 million in 2023–24, NHSE and DHSC said that this additional …
Not Addressed
#13 — The 2024 dental recovery plan introduced four distinct headline initiatives
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: The 2024 dental recovery plan included four headline initiatives, which aimed to provide an additional 1.5 million courses of treatment at a cost of £200 million in 2024–25.34 Funding for these initiatives would be drawn from anticipated underspends in the …
Gov response: 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2025 2.2 NHSE is carrying out analysis of the main initiatives which were planned to result in additional appointments being delivered: the New …
Not Addressed
#1 — Committee heard evidence on NHS dentistry and the dental recovery plan.
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE) on NHS dentistry and the dental recovery plan.1
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. the main underlying drivers of ill-health and tackling persistent inequalities in health. This includes a shift from sickness to preventing illnesses before they happen. As a first step …
Accepted
#17 — Department's further education workforce data collection is incomplete, undermining projection reliability.
Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation: The Department has overseen further education colleges since July 2016 with further education colleges reclassified into the public sector in November 2022. Its further education workforce data collection started in 2020, and while this was able to cover 94% of …
Gov response: 2.6 Strengthening the evidence base remains a key priority especially in FE where the department’s data and therefore its understanding of the workforce is less developed. The FE Workforce in England data publication plays a …
Accepted
#18 — Publish local authorities' Infrastructure Funding Statements on the national CIL map.
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation: The Ministry must review its guidance to local authorities on IFSs, to ensure all local authorities have a clear, up-to-date IFS which sets out how CIL receipts will be used locally, and when they will be pooled to deliver larger …
Gov response: 57. Planning practice guidance includes clear information on what should be included within IFSs. Further guidance is available on the PAS website. Initial PAS guidance was published in 2020, and this was updated in 2023 …
No Published Response
#15 — Publish an interactive map of CIL coverage and charging rates for local authorities.
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation: The Ministry must publish an interactive map of CIL coverage on its website, updated quarterly to include the rates charged in each local authority in England. Publishing a national map would support the housing sector to navigate different charging schedules …
Gov response: 67. Initial engagement across Government and local government on the early adopter programme has already begun. Government will be agreeing an ambitious timeline for the delivery of the early adopter programme and wider rollout of …
Under Consideration
#13 — Publish indicative benchmark land values to inform viability assessments on Green Belt land.
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation: The Government must continue to develop its proposal to publish indicative benchmark land values to inform viability assessments on Green Belt land across England. The Government must publish different benchmark land values for each region of England, to reflect variation …
Gov response: 62. The Government has been clear that new towns will deliver much needed quality and genuinely affordable housing. The Government is committed to a gold standard aim of 40% affordable, with an emphasis on Social …
Accepted
#26 — Mandate all ICBs to complete oral health needs assessments by July 2024 with NHS England support.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: By the end of July 2024, every ICB should have undertaken an oral health needs assessment, in consultation with service users, patient organisations and the profession. NHS England should provide support to ICBs to undertake this, including sharing examples of …
Gov response: Partially Accept ICBs are responsible for undertaking oral health needs assessments to support commissioning priorities for investment. While all ICBs are at different stages of maturity and not all may be complete by the end …
Partially Accepted
#25 — ICBs' delegated responsibility for dental services offers opportunities for local improvement.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: ICBs have been delegated responsibility for commissioning dental services by NHS England. They offer an opportunity to improve access locally, better integrate services around patients and address inequalities.
Gov response: The transfer of responsibility for commissioning NHS dentistry services from NHS England to Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) on 1 April 2023 provides a greater opportunity to tailor services around the needs of the local population …
Not Addressed
#24 — Provide clarity to ICBs on commissioning flexibilities for NHS dental services and resource targeting.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: In light of the current national contracting arrangements, NHS England must provide clarity to ICBs about what flexibilities they have with regard to commissioning NHS dental services and targeting resources according to the needs of their populations.
Gov response: Accept Following the delegation of primary care commissioning functions to ICBs on 1st April 2023, local commissioners are understandably seeking to explore new opportunities to commission dental services and support partnerships to prevent poor oral …
Accepted
#23 — Provide evidence on the effectiveness of initiatives for commissioning local dental services to ICBs.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: We welcome the initiatives outlined by the Chief Dental Officer to help ICBs commission dental services in a way that best meets the needs of their local populations. NHS 36 NHS dentistry England should provide evidence of the effectiveness of …
Gov response: Accept Following the delegation of primary care commissioning functions to ICBs on 1st April 2023, local commissioners are understandably seeking to explore new opportunities to commission dental services and support partnerships to prevent poor oral …
Accepted
#22 — Gather and review ICB membership data, assessing representation and policy effectiveness for NHS dental services.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: We contest the Department’s rejection of the recommendation in our ‘Integrated Care Systems: autonomy and accountability’ report, and reiterate that they should centrally gather information relating to the membership of ICBs, including the specific role of members and their area …
Gov response: Partially Accept NHS England have published implementation guidance on effective clinical and care professional leadership within ICBs. As part of the development of local frameworks and wider governance arrangements, system leaders were asked to commit …
Partially Accepted
#21 — Ensure dental profession representation on Integrated Care Boards for informed decision-making.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: The dental profession should be represented on Integrated Care Boards to ensure they have the necessary expertise to inform decision-making around contracting and flexible commissioning. This should include wider engagement with the profession locally, for example through Local Dental Committees …
Gov response: Partially Accept NHS England have published implementation guidance on effective clinical and care professional leadership within ICBs. As part of the development of local frameworks and wider governance arrangements, system leaders were asked to commit …
Partially Accepted
#20 — Ensure full consultation with professionals on potential graduate NHS dental tie-in policy.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: Given the varying views expressed regarding a tie-in for new graduates into NHS dentistry, we urge NHS England and the Government to ensure full consultation with professionals and representative bodies, as they seek to explore the potential merit of such …
Gov response: Partially accept The Department partially accepts this recommendation. While we want to encourage all professionals to commit more of their time to NHS work, and to work in areas of the country with low provision …
Partially Accepted
#19 — Absence of dental contract in Workforce Plan reflects lack of priority for reform.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: We are concerned that the absence of explicit mention of the dental contract in the Long Term Workforce Plan reflects the lack of priority given by the Government and NHS England to contract reform. We believe it indicates a lack …
Gov response: We are concerned that the absence of explicit mention of the dental contract in the Long Term Workforce Plan reflects the lack of priority given by the Government and NHS England to contract reform. We …
Not Addressed
#18 — Work with GDC to clear Overseas Registration Exam backlog and speed up international registration.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: The Government must work with the General Dental Council to ensure the backlog of applications for the Overseas Registration Exam is cleared in a timely manner, and to speed up changes to the process of international registration for new applicants …
Gov response: Accept The Department accepts this recommendation. We agree that efficient processing of applications for the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) is vital and are working with the GDC to identify the most efficient measures to clear …
Accepted
#17 — Unacceptable backlog of Overseas Registration Exam applications hinders NHS dentist numbers.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: The backlog of applications for the Overseas Registration Exam is unacceptable and resolving this represents an opportunity in the short term to increase the number of dentists working in the NHS, and therefore create more appointments to enable patients to …
Gov response: Accept The Department accepts this recommendation. We agree that efficient processing of applications for the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) is vital and are working with the GDC to identify the most efficient measures to clear …
Accepted
#16 — Advancing Dental Care Review shows potential but immediate incentives needed for supply and demand.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: We support the implementation of the work of the Advancing Dental Care Review. Centres for Dental Development could have the potential to change how we approach training dentists in the UK to meet the needs of the populations who most …
Gov response: Partially Accept ICBs are responsible for undertaking oral health needs assessments to support commissioning priorities for investment. While all ICBs are at different stages of maturity and not all may be complete by the end …
Partially Accepted
#15 — Ensure reformed dental contract fully utilises skills of the entire dental team.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: The Government, NHS England and ICBs must ensure that the reformed contract ensures that full use is made of the skills of the whole dental team. (Paragraph 73) NHS dentistry 35
Gov response: Accept We accept the Committee’s recommendation to make best use of the skills held by the wider dental team and have already taken steps with NHSE to embed this approach within contract reform and to …
Accepted
#14 — Introduce urgent incentives to attract and retain dentists for NHS work.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: Any contract reform now will almost certainly be too late for those dentists who have already left the NHS or are considering doing so in the near future. The Government must urgently introduce incentives to attract and retain dentists to …
Gov response: Partially accept The Department partially accepts this recommendation. While we want to encourage all professionals to commit more of their time to NHS work, and to work in areas of the country with low provision …
Partially Accepted
#13 — Improve routine data collection on NHS dental workforce numbers, activity, and demand.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: The Government and NHS England must improve the routine data that is collected on the number of NHS dentists and the wider dental team, and the levels of NHS activity they undertake, as well as data on demand, to assist …
Gov response: Accept The Department accepts these recommendations. In October 2023, NHSE introduced a new workforce survey which will be repeated biannually. This data collection will incorporate the whole dental team and will include information on retention …
Accepted
#12 — Commission a comprehensive dental workforce survey on NHS staffing and activity levels.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: The Government and NHS England should commission a dental workforce survey to understand how many full-time and part-time-equivalent dentists, dental nurses, therapists and hygienists are working in the NHS, and how much NHS and private activity they are undertaking, alongside …
Gov response: Accept The Department accepts these recommendations. In October 2023, NHSE introduced a new workforce survey which will be repeated biannually. This data collection will incorporate the whole dental team and will include information on retention …
Accepted
#11 — NHS dentist headcount does not reflect actual NHS work or address access issues
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: The Government states that the number of NHS dentists has increased over the past year. However, while the headcount has gone up over the past year, it has gone down over the past three years, and moreover headcount alone does …
Gov response: Accept The Department accepts this recommendation. We agree that efficient processing of applications for the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) is vital and are working with the GDC to identify the most efficient measures to clear …
Partially Accepted
#10 — Reinstate requirement for patients to be registered with an NHS dentist
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: We uphold the recommendation from our predecessors’ 2008 report into Dental Services, that the Department should reinstate the requirement for patients to be registered with an NHS dentist. (Paragraph 55) Workforce
Gov response: Accept We accept the Committee’s recommendation to make best use of the skills held by the wider dental team and have already taken steps with NHSE to embed this approach within contract reform and to …
Under Consideration
#8 — Urgently implement fundamentally reformed dental contract, moving away from UDA system
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: We welcome the Government’s recognition of the need for dental contract reform. The Department and NHS England must urgently implement a fundamentally reformed dental contract, characterised by a move away from the current UDA system, in favour of a system …
Gov response: Partially accept The Department partially accepts this recommendation. We accept the Committee’s recommendation that we need to build further on the contractual changes we announced in July 2022, to further support and incentivise Dental Practices …
Partially Accepted
#7 — Urgently implement fundamental dental contract reform to address access crisis
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: Fundamental reform of the dental contract is essential and must be urgently implemented, not only to address the crisis of access in the short-term, but to ensure a more sustainable, equitable and prevention-focussed system for the future. We are concerned …
Gov response: Partially accept The Department partially accepts this recommendation. We accept the Committee’s recommendation that we need to build further on the contractual changes we announced in July 2022, to further support and incentivise Dental Practices …
Partially Accepted
#3 — Roll-out patient information campaign to clarify NHS dental services and entitlements
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: A lack of public awareness about NHS dental services and how practices operate is contributing to access issues. The Government and NHS England should roll-out a patient information campaign with the aim of improving awareness of how NHS dentistry will …
Gov response: Accept The Department accepts this recommendation, with the strong caveat that there is no requirement for patients to be registered with a specific dental practice, and practices are obliged to only deliver a course of …
Accepted
#2 — Require Government to outline timeline and strategy for universal NHS dental access
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: We welcome the Government’s ambition for everyone who needs an NHS dentist to be able to access one. This ambition must ensure access within a reasonable timeframe and a reasonable distance. The Government must set out how they intend to …
Gov response: Accept The Department accepts this recommendation. We agree that patients need to be well informed about how NHS dentistry works and the care they are entitled to. NHS England has created a new group of …
Accepted
#1 — NHS dentistry faces a crisis of unequal access across different regions and groups.
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: We believe there is a crisis of access in NHS dentistry. Many people are unable to access an NHS dentist or are travelling significant distances to get to one. Access varies across the country and is being experienced unequally by …
Gov response: Accept The Department accepts this recommendation. We want to ensure that every adult and child who needs an NHS dentist can access one, regardless of where they live. The package of reforms we announced in …
Accepted
#6 —
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Recommendation: The NHS responded quickly and strongly to the demands of the pandemic, but compared to other health systems it “runs hot”—with little spare capacity built in to cope with sudden and unexpected surges of demand such as in a pandemic.
Gov response: The government accepts this recommendation. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the NHS has been under significant pressure. There were 390,000 general and acute beds available in 1987, but there are now around 141,000. The …
Under Consideration
#6 —
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Recommendation: The NHS responded quickly and strongly to the demands of the pandemic, but compared to other health systems it “runs hot”—with little spare capacity built in to cope with sudden and unexpected surges of demand such as in a pandemic.
Gov response: The experience of the demands placed on the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic should lead to a more explicit, and monitored, surge capacity being part of the long term organisation and funding of the NHS.
Under Consideration
#63 —
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Recommendation: The NHS responded quickly and strongly to the demands of the pandemic, but compared to other health systems it “runs hot”—with little spare capacity built in to cope with sudden and unexpected surges of demand such as in a pandemic. …
Gov response: The experience of the demands placed on the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic should lead to a more explicit, and monitored, surge capacity being part of the long term organisation and funding of the NHS.
Under Consideration
#9 — Patient registration under capitation-based contract will improve dental access
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: We believe patient registration under a reformed capitation-based contract will better enable those patients who currently can’t access a dentist to be able to do so.
Gov response: Partially accept The Department partially accepts this recommendation. While we want to encourage all professionals to commit more of their time to NHS work, and to work in areas of the country with low provision …
Partially Accepted
#4 — Mandate practices to adhere to NICE recall guidelines and prevent automatic patient removal
Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation: Practices should abide by NICE recall guidelines of up to two years for most adult patients, recognising the need for more regular recall for some, but people should not automatically be removed from dentists’ registers of NHS patients without good …
Gov response: Accept The Department accepts this recommendation. NHS England have provided guidance for ICBs that requires dental allocations to be ringfenced in 2023/24, with any unused resources re-directed to improve NHS dental access in the first …
Under Consideration
Frankland (2021)
HMP Frankland maintained a safe and humane environment during the pandemic, despite a restricted regime. The report highlights successes in staff dedication and reduced self-harm incidents, but raises significant concerns about healthcare provision, especially dental waiting times and the unsuitable physical environment. Staffing shortages in the OMU and inconsistencies in the key worker scheme impacted prisoner progression, alongside issues with property transfers and workshop conditions.
PRISON Key concerns
Featherstone (2021)
HMP Featherstone's IMB report for 2020-21 highlights resilience during Covid-19, with staff and prisoners adapting well, leading to reductions in self-harm and violence. Key concerns include the poor state of the prison's infrastructure, ongoing issues with transferred contracts affecting service provision, and persistent problems with prisoner property. The Board commends efforts in drug reduction and staff dedication in challenging units but calls for urgent investment in the estate, improved contract procurement, and sustained focus on staff culture and healthcare provisions.
PRISON Key concerns
Hatfield (2021)
HMP/YOI Hatfield operated safely and humanely during a challenging year (Apr 2020 - Mar 2021) impacted by COVID-19. The Board found healthcare, education, work provision, and resettlement efforts to be good, despite pandemic restrictions. Staff morale remained high and strong leadership was noted. Key challenges included the impact of COVID-19 on ROTL and family visits, property issues on transfer, and reduced face-to-face service for some healthcare and equality functions.
PRISON Key concerns
P-001210 — A dental practice in the Leeds area
Mr D complained about the care and treatment he received from the practice between 2016 and 2018, saying that it did not identify health issues he developed in his teeth and gums.
NHS in England Nov 2021
P-001247 — A dental practice in the Rotherham area
Mr C complained about the care and treatment his mother received from a dental practice in the Rotherham area. Mr C is further dissatisfied with the practice removing his mother's patient registration and its complaint handling.
NHS in England Sep 2021
P-001155 — A dental practice in the Dacorum area
Mrs Y complains about the care and treatment provided by a dental practice in the Dacorum area regarding a single tooth extraction (upper right lateral incisor), which took place on the 6 July 2018. Mrs Y says she developed an infection which led to sepsis.
NHS in England Oct 2021
P-001212 — A dental practice in the Shropshire area
Mrs E complained about the Practice's decision not to refer her for dental implants. She also complains about the delay in getting a dental appointment and the Practice not acknowledging her Asperger's Syndrome.
NHS in England Nov 2021
P-003119 — Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care …
Mr K complains the ICB lost his Independent Funding Request application made in February 2022 for NHS dental funding to support the root canal work he needed.
NHS in England Nov 2024
P-002022 — mydentist
Mrs R complains the Practice failed to diagnose an abscess and gum disease. She also complains it took a long time to respond to her complaint.
NHS in England Jun 2023
P-004469 — An independent provider in the Cotswold area
Mr E complains that the Practice did not refer him to an NHS specialist dentist for his root canal treatment and crown. He is unhappy that the Practice left him to find a specialist himself, which cost nearly £2500
NHS in England Dec 2025
P-001161 — NHS England - North (regional office)
Mr D complained about NHS England and its decision to accept the recommendation of an Independent Review Panel that his mother was not eligible for CHC funding.
NHS in England Oct 2021
P-001188 — NHS England - North (regional office)
Mrs U complained about NHSE's consideration of her mother's eligibility for CHC funding between January 2010 and November 2012.
NHS in England Nov 2021
P-001201 — NHS England - North - Lancashire and Greater …
Mrs T complained NHS England’s Independent Review Panel upheld East Lancashire CCG’s decision that her late mother was not eligible for NHS continuing care.
NHS in England Nov 2021
P-001206 — NHS England - Midlands and East (regional office)
Mr N and Mrs O complained that NHS England's Independent Review Panel said their mother, Mrs K, was not eligible for 100% funded NHS Continuing Healthcare between January 2008 and November 2011.
NHS in England Not Upheld Nov 2021
P-001235 — Northamptonshire Clinical Commissioning Group
Mrs I complains that Northamptonshire CCG has not provided her with adequate financial redress following its decision that her late husband was eligible for NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) funding. She says the CCG refused to reimburse all of the 'post-death' fees the care home charged her after Mr I died.
NHS in England Upheld Dec 2021
P-001228 — NHS England and Northern, Eastern and Western Devon …
Mr R complained NHS England’s independent review panel (IRP) upheld Devon Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) decision that his wife, Mrs R, was not eligible for NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) funding.
NHS in England Dec 2021
P-001234 — NHS England
Mr O complains about NHS England’s decision to not arrange a full independent review panel to consider Derby and Derbyshire CCG’s decision that his father was not eligible for NHS continuing healthcare funding.
NHS in England Dec 2021
P-002371 — A dental practice in the Bexley area
Mrs O complains the Practice refused to give her a new extended bridge between June and October 2022. She says it said the only option to fix her pain was tooth extraction and a denture. She also complains the dentures fitted in October 2022 kept falling out and the Practice …
NHS in England Dec 2023
P-003406 — A dental practice in the Durham area
Mr A complains that between 2010 and 2017 the dental Practice did not do enough to treat his gum disease.
NHS in England Mar 2025
P-003540 — A dental practice in the Leeds area
Miss A complains the Practice would not complete her course of NHS orthodontist treatment by permanently filling a gap between her teeth. She also complains about the way the Practice communicated with her about its decision.
NHS in England May 2025
P-003651 — Black Country Integrated Care Board
Ms A complains about the Integrated Care Board's decision not to conduct a full assessment of her mother's eligibility for Continuing Healthcare (CHC) funding.
NHS in England Jul 2025
P-003722 — NHS England
Mr F complains about NHSE’s decision his brother Mr L was not eligible for CHC funding.
NHS in England Jul 2025
P-003761 — Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Mr H complains about delays in dental treatment caused by the Trust’s handling of his referral and helpline calls between April and December 2024.
NHS in England Aug 2025
P-002416 — NHS England
Mr I complains NHS England did not take his complaint about his dental practice seriously and delayed responding to him.
NHS in England Jan 2024
PSOW-202401292 — Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Mr A complained about issues relating to his ongoingwait for knee surgery. Instead of formally investigating and responding to MrA’s complaint, the Health Board sought to informally resolve the matter. The Ombudsman was concerned that the Health Board didnot resolve Mr A’s complaint and had not formally investigated and responded …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Nov 2024
PSOW-202406333 — A Dental Practice in the area of Betsi …
Miss B complained that a Dental Practice in the area of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board had removed her from its patient list after she raised concerns with it about dental charges. The Ombudsman found that the dental charges were for private treatment, so fell outside of her remit. Miss …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Nov 2024
NIPSO-202004300 — Northern Health and Social Care Trust
A young boy who had autism and was non-verbal was left in pain after the Northern Health Trust failed to give him the care he needed.
NIPSO (NI Public Service… Health & Social Care Upheld Nov 2025
PSOW-202305819 — A Dental Practice in the area of Betsi …
Mr C complained about the treatment he received from a Dental Practice within the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board area from November 2022 to May 2023. The Ombudsman investigated whether it was appropriate to refuse Mr C treatment due to him having dental work overseas, whether delaying Mr C’s filling …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Not Upheld Jun 2024
201305797 — A Dental Practice in the Greater Glasgow and …
Miss C complained that her dental practice had decided to remove her from their patient list without providing her with treatment for a three month period in accordance with national guidance. She also told us that she made a complaint to the practice in 2012 and that she had not …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Upheld Jul 2014
201404670 — A Dentist in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde …
Mr C attended his dentist for a routine check-up. During this check-up the dentist intended to scale and polish Mr C's teeth (a procedure where tartar build-up is removed from the gumline). Mr C refused, as a previous treatment had caused sensitivity to his teeth. The dentist advised Mr C …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Partly Upheld Jul 2015
201701087 — A Dentist in the Highland NHS Board area
Mr C complained to us that staff at the dental practice unreasonably informed him that he was exempt from NHS charges for dental treatment. Mr C said that, when he started a course of dental treatment at the practice, he told the staff that he was in receipt of carer's …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Not Upheld Dec 2017
202408340 — A Dental Practice in the Greater Glasgow and …
C complained about being de-registered from their dental practice. C also complained that the practice failed to handle their complaint reasonably. Due to a broken tooth, C phoned for an emergency appointment and was told they could attend the same day. However when C arrived, they were given a temporary …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Upheld May 2025
PSOW-202304109 — An NHS Independent Provider Dental Practice
Ms C complained that the dental practice failed to respond to communication, in particular a complaint she raised in May 2023. The Ombudsman found that the dental practice overlooked Ms C’s initial complaint which was received via email. She said that this caused distress and frustration to Ms C. The …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Oct 2023
PSOW-202403027 — A Dental Practice in the area of Cwm …
Miss X complained about the care she received from the Practice during and following root canal treatment. Miss X said she had complained to the Practice but no formal response had been provided to her. The Ombudsman found that the Practice had not considered Miss X’s email as a formal …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Jul 2024
201300492 — A Dentist in the Lanarkshire NHS Board area
Mr C complained that his front tooth had been extracted unnecessarily and that his dentist had refused to provide him with the type of bridge work to replace it that he wanted. This was on the grounds that Mr C's oral hygiene was too poor to allow it to be …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Upheld Aug 2014
PSOW-202200241 — A Dental Practice in the area of Betsi …
Ms X complained to the Practice on behalf of Ms Y on 14 December 2021. Ms X complained to the Ombudsman on 6 April 2022 as the Practice had failed to respond to the complaint. The Ombudsman contacted the Practice as she was concerned about the length of time it …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health May 2022
PSOW-202202324 — Powys Teaching Health Board
Ms X complained that the Health Board refused to investigate her complaint about why she and her son were removed as patients from a dental surgery within the Health Board’s area. The Ombudsman decided that the Health Board should provide Ms X with a further written response (by 23 August) …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Aug 2022
PSOW-202203142 — A Dental Practice in the area of Aneurin …
The Ombudsman found that the concerns were investigated and responded to by the Health Board. The Health Board’s response stated that the Dental Practice had apologised to Mr X, but he said it had not. Following contact from the Ombudsman’s office, the Dental Practice agreed, and immediately took action, to …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Sep 2022
PSOW-202108208 — A Dental Practice in the area of Betsi …
Mr A complained to the Health Board about the service provided at his local branch of Dental Practice after experiencing multiple appointment cancellations at short or no notice. Mr A said that the Health Board failed to ensure that the Dental Practice addressed the issues raised in his complaint about …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Oct 2022
PSOW-202204027 — A Dental Practice in the area of Swansea …
Mrs T complained that the Dental Practice wrote to her and informed her that she had been removed from its patient list on the basis she had been rude and aggressive. Mrs T further complained that despite her writing to the Practice to reconsider the decision, she had not received …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Nov 2022
PSOW-202303004 — A Dental Practice in the area of Hywel …
Ms P complained that the Practice failed to formally respond to a complaint she raised in February 2023. The Ombudsman found that the Practice had met with Ms P to discuss her complaint but it failed to issue a response in writing. This caused additional frustration for Ms P. The …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Aug 2023
PSOW-202308011 — A Dental Practice
Mr X complained that the dental practice did not fully respond to all aspects of his complaint, submitted to it in August 2023. The Ombudsman decided that the dental practice had failed to respond fully to the complaint. She said this caused frustration and uncertainty to Mr X. She decided …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Feb 2024
PSOW-202402661 — A Dental Practice in the area of Swansea …
Mr C who had complained to the Dental Practice about the poor fitting dentures that he had paid for, was unhappy that in a telephone conversation the Dental Practice had informed him that he had been “struck off their register” due to a breakdown of trust. Mr C, who had …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Sep 2024
201103689 — A Dental Practice in the Grampian NHS Board …
Miss C complained that her dentist had removed her from the dental practice's list of patients. However, dentists can do this, as long as they give three months' notice to the patient (unless the patient has shown violence). As the dentist had given adequate notice, there were no grounds for …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Not Upheld May 2012
201604307 — A Dentist in the Fife NHS Board area
On attending his dentist, Mr C was noted to have dental decay in two of his teeth. It was agreed that this would be removed and his teeth would be filled. Despite this, Mr C remained in pain and he required root canal treatment. The treatment and known risks of …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Not Upheld Apr 2017
201608924 — A Dentist in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde …
Miss C complained about the treatment that she received from her dentist, after they removed one of her teeth. She explained that, following the removal, she felt that the wrong tooth had been removed. This led her to attend another dentist, who found a crack in the remaining tooth, meaning …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Partly Upheld Nov 2017
202002619 — A Dentist in the Forth Valley NHS Board …
C complained about the care and treatment that their child (A) received from a dentist at the dental surgery. C raised a number of concerns, including that the dentist failed to detect decay in A's tooth and provide appropriate treatment for this, and failed to carry out a radiograph (a …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Upheld May 2022
202304640 — A dentist in the LanarkshireNHS Board area
C complained that the dentist failed to provide them with a reasonable standard of dental care and treatment, resulting in significant deterioration. C had concerns about x-rays and the dentist's complaint response. Following contact from our office, the dentist offered a resolution which C accepted. Therefore, we closed the complaint …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Oct 2024
202304116 — A dentist in the Ayrshire & Arran NHS …
C complained about the care and treatment that they received from the dentist during a period of eight months. C is a bariatric patient and is unable to recline due to their medical condition. C attended for an examination with the dentist and complained of a broken front tooth and …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Partly Upheld Oct 2024
PSOW-202201244 — A Dental Practice in the area of Hywel …
Mrs A complained about a Dentist in the area of Hywel Dda University Health Board (“the Dentist). She said that inaccurate information provided during an appointment in June 2019 led her to believe that her daughter’s application for NHS orthodontic treatment had been declined due to her not meeting the …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Jul 2022
PSOW-202207364 — Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Ms A complained that she was on a waiting list for dental treatment for over two years because Betsi Cadwladr University Health Board sent her referral to the wrong dental practice. Ms A said that the referral was because she had her teeth removed due to chemotherapy. Ms A said …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Feb 2023
PSOW-202400599 — A Dental Practice in the area of Cardiff …
Mr C complained about the care he received from the Practice. Mr C said that the Practice failed to discuss his treatment with him in detail or tell him that the person who would carry out the treatment would be a dental therapist, rather than a dentist. Mr C also …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Jun 2024
PSOW-202203641 — A Dental Practice in the area of Hywel …
Mr A complained about whether the treatment he received from a Dental Practice (“the Practice”) within the Hywel Dda University Health Board area between May 2019 and September 2021 was appropriate. The Ombudsman’s investigation found that Mr A was seen at the Practice on several occasions between May 2019 and …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Not Upheld Nov 2023
PSOW-202402584 — A Dental Practice in the area of Aneurin …
Mr A complained that a dental practice had not provided treatment for an issue with his front tooth. He said that he had made a complaint regarding this but had not received a response as the dental practice had closed and contact was unable to be made with the dentist …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Sep 2024
PSOW-202304436 — Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Mr C complained about the care and treatment provided to him by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (“the Health Board”). The investigation considered whether the care and treatment Mr C received between 17 May and 27 September 2022 from the Health Board’s Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Team was appropriate …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Not Upheld Oct 2024
PSOW-202404270 — A Dental Practice in the area of Swansea …
Mr M complained that the Practice had failed to respond to his complaints about the poor care and treatment provided to him. The Ombudsman found that the Practice had responded to one complaint but that there had been a failure to respond to the second complaint and this had caused …
PSOW (Public Services Om… Health Oct 2024
201101095 — A Dental Practice, Highland NHS Board
Mrs C's son (Mr A) was removed from his dental practice’s list of patients. When he attended a new dentist, he was told that he needed at least nine fillings. Mrs C complained that the original dentist had provided inadequate dental treatment to her son resulting in the need for …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Upheld Dec 2011
201100466 — A Dental Practice, Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS …
Ms C was referred to a dentist for root canal treatment under sedation. Following treatment, Ms C developed an infection, which she felt was due to inappropriate dental treatment. She also complained that, when she attended to have her stitches removed, the dentist initially refused to do so until Ms …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Partly Upheld Dec 2011
201101191 — A Dental Practice, Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board
Mrs C visited her dentist to have a crown checked that had been causing her pain. After treatment, Mrs C complained that the dentist had extracted a perfectly healthy crown and had failed to give her any anaesthetic at the initial attempt to extract the crown. Mrs C said that …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Not Upheld Mar 2012
201105187 — A Dentist in the Lothian NHS Board area
Mr C visited a dentist several times in the summer of 2011 where he had seven teeth removed and two fillings. Around three months later, Mr C was admitted to hospital suffering from fever and was subsequently diagnosed with sub-acute bacterial endocarditis (a chronic bacterial infection of the valves of …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Not Upheld Dec 2012
201403381 — A Dentist in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde …
Ms C was a new patient at a dental practice, and had seen a dentist there who started her treatment. However, Ms C complained that when she attended another dentist (the dentist) in the practice as an emergency, she was not cared for or treated properly. She said that the …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Upheld Apr 2015
201608382 — A Dentist in the Lothian NHS Board area
Ms C complained that a dentist failed to carry out reasonable investigations to find the cause of her dental pain over the course of a year. She also complained that the dentist broke the root of her tooth and left it in her gum during the extraction of her tooth. …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Partly Upheld Aug 2017
201606479 — A Dentist in the Lothian NHS Board area
Ms C complained that her dentist failed to give her appropriate treatment. In particular, she complained that the dentist may have fractured the root of her tooth during root canal treatment. During our investigation we took independent advice from a dental surgeon. The adviser said that a root canal was …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Not Upheld Aug 2017
201604467 — A Dentist in the Tayside NHS Board area
Mr C complained about the care and treatment provided to him by his dentist. Mr C attended his dentist after experiencing pain in his teeth. After taking x-rays and performing an examination, the dentist considered there was an abscess around the roots of a tooth supporting the bridge in Mr …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Not Upheld Aug 2017
201706827 — A Dentist in the Ayrshire and Arran NHS …
Ms C complained about the treatment she received from her dentist, particularly in relation to the fitting of a crown which fractured multiple times and required repairs, and areas of untreated decay. We took independent advice from a dental adviser. We found that the treatment Ms C received from the …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Upheld Jul 2018
201805288 — A Dentist in the Fife NHS Board area
Ms C complained to us about the treatment she received from her dentist. She said that the dentist had damaged the cartilage in her jaw and it was causing her severe pain. When Ms C reported this to the dentist she was advised to stay on a soft diet and …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Not Upheld Mar 2019
201805707 — A Dentist in the Lanarkshire NHS Board area
Ms C complained about the treatment she received from the dentist. Ms C was referred to the dentist as she required sedation during dental procedures. Ms C said she was told by the referring dentist that the tooth, which had a missing filling, was salvageable and could be crowned, however …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Not Upheld May 2019
201805548 — A Dentist in the Lothian NHS Board area
Miss C complained about the treatment she received from her dentist. She said that she had presented with a small chip on a tooth and that the dentist had put on a small filling which repeatedly fell off. Miss C said that at the time of the filling the dentist …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Not Upheld May 2019
201406169 — A Dentist in the Tayside NHS Board area
Mr C complained that his dental practice had failed to make a referral to the dental hospital within a reasonable timescale. Mr C had teeth which required extraction, and he said that it had taken a long time to get an appointment for this procedure to be carried out. Mr …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se… Health Not Upheld Jul 2015
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