Family gets dental treatment in Brazil amidst NHS access troubles

A family doubled up their trip to Brazil to visit family with a dental appointment in the face of growing access problems.

The BBC reports that Kedma Woodmansey – who is originally from Brazil – was struggling to register herself and her child with an NHS dentist.

As a result, she was forced to combine trips back to Brazil with a visit to the dentist due to a lack of NHS provision.

Reports say that Woodmansey tried to register when she moved to the UK five years ago but was unsuccessful.

She said: ‘Whether in Hull, or the area we live now, it’s just been ridiculous trying to get registered.’

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Lack of availability

A recent Healthwatch report found that no new patients in Somerset can access an NHS dental appointment.

Results showed that access was worse for people living in the south west of the country compared to the north east. In some cases, the lack of availability has driven some patients to DIY treatment.

One in two people (52%) from the south west said they did not have any NHS dentist appointments in the last two years. However this stood at 36% for those living in the north east.

Main issues

Gill Keniston-Goble is the manager for Healthwatch Somerset and says dentistry is at the centre of patient complaints.

‘Dentistry continues to be one of the main issues raised with us by the public,’ she said.

‘In the past year, 22% of our feedback has been about people not being able to find an NHS dentist.’

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