The local newspaper, the Sheffield Star recently reported Kate Jones, director of Dental Public Health at NHS Sheffield stating that: "There are currently 18 dental practices taking on new NHS patients in Sheffield.

"Sheffield has one of the highest levels of NHS provision for dental patients in the UK. In the last 2 years, 67.3 per cent of the people of Sheffield have been seen by an NHS dentist.

"There are still places available for those people who are looking for a dentist. NHS Sheffield is in the top 20 NHS organisations in the country for local spending per head on dental services."

However the statistics and press statements do not exactly match the reality of patient experience as illustrated by data obtained by the Dr Spencer Pitfield, Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Penistone and Stocksbridge that shows that 1/3rd of the people in Sheffield have not seen a dentist in 2 years.

To test the actual state of dentistry in Sheffield, I called 10 dentists in the city on numbers obtained from the Dental help line to see if they are willing to register new patients and of the 10 called only 4 or 40% are willing to take on new NHS patients.

The response from M. P. Dewar, the Darnall Main Road dental surgery was typical i.e.

NW - "Are you taking on NHS patients ?"

Dental Practice - "No, we are not taking on any new NHS patients"

NW - "Then why is the NHS help line giving me your number to call"

Dental Practice - " I don't know why, they should not be"

NW -" Do you see patients in an emergency"

Dental Practice - "No, you need to call the dental help line, I can give you the number"

I was under the impression that ALL Dentists were obliged to see patients in the case of dental emergencies, apparently this is no longer the case and hence no wonder that 1/3rd of Sheffielders have given up on trying to see a dentist.

A good first step would be for the Sheffield Dental help line to update their records so that they DID NOT give out phone numbers for dental practices that DO NOT accept NHS patients.

By Nadeem Walayat
http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Nadeem Walayat has over 20 years experience of trading derivatives, portfolio management and analysing the financial markets, including one of few who both anticipated and Beat the 1987 Crash. Nadeem's forward looking analysis specialises on the housing market and interest rates. Nadeem is the Editor of The Market Oracle, a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. We present in-depth analysis from over 250 experienced analysts on a range of views of the probable direction of the financial markets. Thus enabling our readers to arrive at an informed opinion on future market direction. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any trading losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors before engaging in any trading activities.

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