As patients continue to suffer due to the crisis in NHS dentistry available in the West Tyrone area, the Department of Health, Social Services, and Public Safety, seems to be laying the blame for the problem squarely at the door of Boards and the dentists..
A spokesperson for the Department said, "The DHSSPS made significant investment of £7.9 million into health service dentistry last financial year. This included additional funding to the Western Health and Social Services Board to employ salaried dentists in areas where access is difficult. The number of dental practices operating in the Western Health and Social Services Board area is 59. The number of dentists registered to carry out NHS dentistry in the Western Health and Social Services Board area is 130.
"Under current contract arrangements, general dental practitioners, who are independent contractors, can choose to provide general dental services or private dentistry or a mixture of both.
"At present, there is no obligation on general dental practitioners to accept a patient for health service treatment, and current contractual arrangements do not permit Health and Social Services Boards to compel practitioners to provide general dental services.
A spokesperson on dental matters for the WHSSB said that the Board had tried to recruit dentists but were unable to appoint any, though the money was there for them. "We've always had difficulty recruiting dentists West of the Bann. We are working with the Western Trust to look at other ways we might be able to attract and recruit dentists.
The spokesperson refuted the suggestion that there was no NHS emergency dental care available in Omagh, claiming that all of the dentists receiving money for NHS treatment are obliged to provide emergency cover. However, she said that there was no obligation on any dentist to accept any patient for Health Service treatment. Health Boards can't compel dentists to provide NHS treatment.
The difficulty seems to arise from the contract between the Department of Health and the dentists, in which the dentists are allowed to decide whom they treat privately and on the NHS.
In any case there appear to be few, if any, dentists in the West Tyrone area taking on new NHS patients.
A spokesperson for the department said, "The department hopes to pilot the new contractual arrangements in the coming 12 months. In the meantime, anyone experiencing difficulty in accessing dental services in their area should contact the Dental Director at their local Health and Social Services Board for advice."
