Reilly raises concern over absence of Derry dental practices from access scheme
SDLP councillor Martin Reilly has voiced concern that only one dental practice in the district is participating in the Dental Access Scheme.
At June’s Derry City and Strabane District Council (DC&SDC) meeting members agreed to write to Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, asking if he has “concerns at the full privatisation of dental care and what steps he is prepared to take to protect those who can't afford to pay”.
Council also asked Mr Nesbitt what steps are being taken to ensure dental access isn't being reduced to emergency extraction, instead of a focus on dental health from an early age.
Mr Nesbitt’s official response, which was presented to members at September’s meeting, highlighted the Dental Access Scheme, which aims to improve access to health service dental care during the working week, for unregistered dental patients experiencing an emergency dental condition.
Mr Nesbitt noted that the scheme has allowed treatment to almost 23,000 patients since its inception in August, and is fully funded until the 2026/27 year.
The response also identified the 37 dental practices across Northern Ireland that currently participate in the scheme, by Trust area, and councillor Reilly noted that there were only four in the Western Trust area and one in the district; Strabane Family Dental Care.
The Waterside SDLP representative proposed that the council write to the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) and ask about potential plans to expand the scheme within the Trust area.
“Three of [the participating practices] are in Limavady and there's the one in Strabane, and that's not sufficient for the people who live in the Western Trust area," he said.
“That means there's no cover in Fermanagh, there’s no cover in this city, and if you look at … all the geographical locations across Northern Ireland, Belfast Trust has double figures [and] the only Trust area that has single digits is ourselves in the Western Trust.
“So I think council needs to engage with the Western Trust on this, to see what they're doing to try and improve the number of dental practices that are offering the Dental Access service.”