Wheelchair user's struggles to access NHS dentists

The NHS needs to do more to make it clear whether dental surgeries are accessible to disabled people, according to one woman who uses a wheelchair.

The health service's website, which allows people to search for dentists nearby, does not consistently provide details of how accessible they are, Sarah Rennie, from Shrewsbury, said.

Finding an appropriate dental practice was "time-consuming," Rennie said, adding that "this is a very common experience for disabled people".

A spokesperson for NHS England said "we know there is far more to do to ensure everyone gets easy access to NHS dental services," adding that they "are working alongside government to introduce further reforms."

Rennie, 40, said she tried to find a dentist in Shropshire after moving to the county, using the NHS online tool to find a local surgery.

But she found that there "was no way of filtering to find out if they were wheelchair accessible," and upon inspection "many of them were completely silent on whether they were step free".

Conducting her own research to track down a practice that was both accessible and accepting of NHS patients, Rennie said she found that "of all the ones listed [on the NHS website], only one in five provided access information on their website".

She called for the health service to make it easier for people with disabilities to find appropriate dental care which catered to their individual access needs.

"Everything should have transparent and accurate information, but they don't", Rennie said.

In her hunt for a suitable dentist, she found that "some of the information [on the NHS website] contradicted what was on the [practice] websites".

For example, she said, one dental surgery proclaimed to be "entirely step free" on the NHS site - but after getting in touch directly, Rennie found their treatment room was up a flight of stairs.

"The information is inaccurate and there's an issue for the practices about whether they are fulfilling their reasonable adjustments duty," she said.

The "frustration" Rennie and other people faced in trying to find dental care "can really put you off going".

She added: "Then we ask ourselves - why is there social and health inequality?"

"This is the kind of reason then, that people don't go for appointments, they don't go for check-ups, they don't follow up on things, and then they end up with serious health problems.

"I'm happy to wait in the queue with everybody else for an NHS practice. But when my turn comes in the queue I've got to hang around for an accessible slot.

"I don't think that's right."

A spokesperson for NHS England in the Midlands said their service had "delivered hundreds of thousands more dental appointments compared to last year, but we know there is far more to do to ensure everyone gets easy access to NHS dental services."

They added that they were "working alongside government to introduce further reforms in the coming months."

In a statement, NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin said they were "sorry to hear about Sarah's experience and recognise how upsetting this must have been".

"Individual dental practices are responsible for providing and communicating information about their accessibility and facilities," they added.

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