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

We are focused on improving the situation for residents and continue to work actively 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.

Up-to-date information about the number of people accessing NHS dentistry in Gloucestershire will be released later this year. We expect this to show an improving picture since NHS Gloucestershire became responsible for commissioning (purchasing) dentistry services in 2023.

Access to NHS dentistry

We have made good progress in improving access to NHS dentistry across the county and ensuring that anyone who does not have a dentist can access an urgent dental appointment.

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.

There are currently 60 urgent care appointments available on average 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. They will then be triaged by dental nurses in the local urgent dental care triage team. Appointments can be accessed by people from any part of the county.

Around 230 appointments to support patients by stabilising their dental care needs (see FAQs) are now provided on average each week across the county, meaning that patients should not need to travel too far. These sessions may include a full-examination and follow-up dental treatment to stabilise someone’s oral health.

Patients without a dentist should call NHS 111 to access these appointments.

The recent national announcement (21 February 2025) sets out requirements for us to build on the work we have done so far to secure additional urgent dental appointments.

We know how important opening up additional NHS dental places at local practices is to our residents and we have been working hard to achieve this in conjunction with other ICBs across the South West region.

We will continue to seek interest from dental practices we are already working with, including in areas of deprivation, and will be reaching out to new dental providers in the coming months.

The Patient Premium incentive scheme for NHS dental practices, introduced last year, enables an enhanced payment for initial appointments and accepting new patients who have not seen a dentist for over two years. The national team have confirmed that this particular scheme will finish at the end of March 2025.

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, in conjunction with our colleagues from Public Health at Gloucestershire County Council, introduced two initiatives that support improvements in oral health.

First Dental Steps is a countywide service for babies, provided by Health Visiting teams at the baby’s 9- and 12-month reviews. Introduced in November 2023, the service offers parents oral health advice, and they are given a dental pack. We intend to fund these packs for at least the next four years.

Together with Gloucestershire County Council, in January 2024 we introduced a new Supervised Toothbrushing Service (the Big Brush Club) 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 efforts are ongoing to increase uptake. We are working closely with At Home Dental (which provides the service) and Public Health colleagues (who hold the statutory responsibility for oral health improvement) on this programme.

This evidence-based supervised scheme has so far seen 3,726 children in reception and Year One classes brushing their teeth twice a day during school time. At Home Dental has also offered several training sessions and oral health improvement resources for parents, including toothbrushing packs being provided for school holiday periods.

Workforce

With partners, we have developed a dental commissioning plan to fully utilise NHS Gloucestershire’s delegated budget. Given dentistry’s high priority, we went beyond our regional allocation of funds on the dental recruitment incentive scheme and have funded 18 positions for dentists so far this financial year.

Recruitment to these posts is underway, and to date, practices across the county have recruited four new dentists.

We are taking steps to recruit Educational Supervisors to enable us to attract dentists to undertake their foundation year in Gloucestershire. We have also recruited two part time dentists to provide dental clinical leadership on workforce development, including an opportunity for newly qualified dentists to undertake Fellowship studies. These advisors will work closely with our Dental Strategy Lead.

Our longer-term ambition is to work with partners to offer undergraduate Dental Therapist and Dental Hygienist courses within the county.

Minor oral surgery

We are taking forward plans to offer minor oral surgery procedures in safe, non-hospital settings where appropriate to help reduce waiting times in the main hospitals. Our investment in this has increased the current service from one day a week to five days a week. This has been operational since November 2024 and is run by Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.

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 February 2024) we have increased the value of a UDA. In Gloucestershire, we went beyond the national minimum of £28 to £30 for dental practices that achieved their contracted terms and those achieving a certain percentage of their contract and who agreed an increase in dental activity. This is 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 increase in the value of UDAs 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 60 urgent care appointments available on average 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. Around 230 additional appointments, which may include follow-up appointments, are now provided on average 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 and we have been working hard to achieve this. We will continue to seek interest from dental practices we are already working with, including in areas of deprivation, and will be reaching out to new dental providers in the coming months.

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.