Improving access to NHS dentistry is a key priority for NHS Gloucestershire and its partners.

2023/24 reporting shows that 29.5 % of Gloucestershire adults and 50.7% of children had been seen by an NHS dentist within the last 24 months (12 months for children).

We are determined to improve the situation for residents and are actively working with local dentists, with help from patient representatives, to bring more services on board.

Our key aims are to:

  • deliver consistent, high quality dental services and care, with a particular focus on improving access to dentistry, particularly in some of the county’s most deprived areas
  • support providers to recruit, retain and train all dental staff by offering more flexible training and working opportunities
  • work with our communities to improve the oral health of people across the county, with a particular focus on health inequalities, children, and older people

Progress being made

We are looking at opportunities to increase access to NHS dentistry provision across the county.

Good progress has been made to ensure that anyone who does not have a dentist can access an urgent dental appointment.

There are currently 60 urgent care appointments available each week at clinics across the county, including weeknight and weekend clinics, and we are continuing to increase this number. Patients can access these appointments by contacting NHS 111.

A number of dental practices are now providing additional NHS appointments for patients not registered with a dentist, to help them avoid the need for frequent, urgent support. Nearly 200 appointments, which may include follow-up appointments, are now provided each week across the county, meaning that patients should not need to travel too far.

We are continuing to take forward discussions with partners about the potential development of a Centre of Dental Excellence for the county; this facility would improve staff training and recruitment and improve access for patients in all six localities.

We are also taking forward plans to offer minor oral surgery procedures in safe, non-hospital settings where appropriate.

Our Dental Clinical Lead is working with dental practices to better understand their workforce challenges, which, with support from NHS England, will help to inform the development of a workforce strategy for the county, and we have created an incentive programme to encourage newly qualified dentists to remain in the county.

Oral health

16.8% of five-year-old children in Gloucestershire have dental decay. Although this varies across the county, children in the most deprived areas are affected most. To address this, we have two current initiatives that support improvements in oral health.

Together with Gloucestershire County Council, we have introduced a new Supervised Toothbrushing Service which sees children in early years education settings (particularly in areas of higher deprivation) brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste under staff supervision.

71% of the 172 schools invited to join the programme have signed up, and are working closely with At Home Dental (which provides the service) and Public Health colleagues, who hold the statutory responsibility for Oral Health Improvement, to increase participation.

First Dental Steps is a new service for babies provided by Health Visiting teams at the baby’s 9- and 12-month reviews. It offers parents oral health advice, and they are given a dental pack.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is NHS dentistry funded in Gloucestershire?

NHS Gloucestershire has held the budget for NHS dentistry in the county since April 2023. Our budget for 2023/24 was £32.4m. It is £33.6m for 2024/25.

Dental activity is measured through Units of Dental Activity (UDA). A patient’s course of treatment will include a number of these units, depending on the complexity of the treatment.

As mandated in the National Dental Recovery Plan (published Feb 2024) we have increased the value of a UDA by the minimum required uplift, to £28. We aim to increase this further to £30 in line with the average rate across the South West.

Dental practices in Gloucestershire are currently achieving 68% of the contracted targets that have been set.

We are working hard to improve this and are holding regular contract support review meetings with dental practices to review their activity and understand the challenges. We anticipate that the planned increase in the value of UDAs to £30 will help to improve access to NHS dentistry  over the next three years.

How does dental registration and access currently work?

Dental practices are independent businesses, often providing a combination of NHS and private dentistry.

Patients are not registered with a dentist in the same way they are with a GP practice where there is a catchment area, and individuals can access services at a dental practice located in any area if the practice is accepting new patients.

Dental practices can choose whether they provide NHS treatment to patients or limit the number of services depending on whether they have capacity under the terms of their contract.

To check on NHS dental registration availability, you can visit www.nhs.uk. Practices providing NHS treatments are listed here – each practice updates their information.

What are you doing to improve access to NHS dentistry?

We have been focusing on putting arrangements in place to ensure that anyone who does not have a dentist can access an urgent dental appointment.

There are now urgent care appointments available each week at clinics across the county, including weeknight and weekend clinics. Patients can access these appointments by contacting NHS 111.

Last year, we invited dental practices to provide additional appointments for patients not registered with a dental practice to help them avoid the need for frequent urgent support. Over 200 additional appointments, which may include follow-up appointments, are now provided each week.

How long are current waiting lists?

The way that NHS dental contracts are regulated and managed means that providers are not required to hold a patient register and they are able to move patients from a practice list; this is not the same as when you are registered with a GP Practice.

An early priority has been to improve access to urgent appointments and to provide care to patients who are not registered with a dental practice. We also know how important opening up additional NHS dental places at local practices is to our residents.

Additional background information

NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) became responsible for commissioning (purchasing) local dentistry services in April 2023 when NHS England delegated this responsibility. There are 62 NHS dental practices in the county.

Gloucestershire Community Dental Service

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC) provides the Gloucestershire Community Dental Service which operates across six specialist sites within the county. Services are available to patients who would benefit from special care dentistry, such as relief from acute dental pain, infection, bleeding or trauma, following referral from a health or dental care professional.

Hospital dental services

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides oral and maxillofacial surgery (dentistry that involves operations to correct diseases, injuries to your face, jaw or mouth), including outpatient orthodontic treatments and inpatient planned and emergency procedures.