New dental scheme aims to halve kids' waiting lists

Thursday 22 December 2022

A new Government scheme – which it's hoped will allow more than 1,000 children to access dental treatment more quickly – is anticipated to reduce the community dental waiting list by more than 50%.

Health and Community Services has commissioned five private practices to see patients aged between four and 11 free of charge, who are on the waiting list for their first routine appointment with the community dental department.

Although the Government were unable to give an update on how much the waiting list has been reduced so far due to the scheme being “in its infancy”, Sarah Evans, General Manager for the Community Dental team, said that “it is anticipated that the scheme will reduce the community dental waiting list by more than 50 per cent”. 

“The waiting times for patients to be seen by the private dental practices is a few weeks, unless they want to be seen on a particular day or time,” she added.

The scheme - which was fully rolled out yesterday - is being funded by the Covid-19 Recovery Strategy and aims to help reduce the waiting list for the department which it says was severely impacted by the pandemic. The safety measures implemented to mitigate the spread of the virus meant that the number of patients the Community Dental team could see was severely restricted.

Pictured: Even before the pandemic, some parents were having to pay thousands in private dental care for their children due to “excessive” waiting times of up to five years.

Patients who require routine appointments aged between four and 11 and were on the waiting list for the community dental team as of 31 October are eligible for the new scheme. 

HCS initially launched the partnership working with the five practices – Smile Group, Colomberie Clinic and Dental Practice, The Dental Studio, Confidence Dental and Wellbeing and Windsor Crescent Dental Practice – as a pilot earlier this year, with 200 patients opting in.

Following their initial appointment, a patient either remains under the care of the private dentist for subsequent treatment as part of the scheme, or, if they do not require treatment they are transferred back into the care of the community dental team and will be seen again within an agreed recall date of between six and 12 months, depending on the patient’s clinical need.

Due to the success of the pilot, the scheme has now been fully rolled out and has been extended to a further 833 patients.

The private practices, who underwent a tendering process, charge HCS an agreed set amount for each appointment or treatment they undertake. Patients who choose not to opt-in to the scheme remain on the waiting list for the community dental team.

Pictured: Deputy Karen Wilson, Minister for Health and Social Services.

The Minister for Health and Social Services, Deputy Karen Wilson, said: “I am pleased to see progress around waiting lists for children’s health. This is a great example of primary and secondary care working in partnership to deliver better services for children who have been affected by delays caused by the pandemic, and as a start of the turnaround for HCS.”