Concerns the Isle of Wight has been overlooked, amid the dental crisis, have been raised.
Work is currently being undertaken to look at the depth of the Island’s ‘biggest health inequality’ which will hopefully fix problems facing Islanders.
Since it was announced in September, however, the Isle of Wight Council has said it has had a lack of response from NHS England to address those concerns.
Raising the issue at last night’s (Monday) health and social care scrutiny committee, Cllr John Nicholson said they were worried at how long a response was taking and the excuses given were not acceptable.
Cllr Nicholson said the committee was ‘particularly perturbed’ that mainland areas had been given assistance but the Island was being overlooked.
Joanna Smith, Healthwatch Isle of Wight manager, said the lack of treatment on the Island was unacceptable in this day and age and that lives were being ruined by the crisis.
Cllr Michael Lilley said he had spoken to a private dentist recently who said trade was booming on the Island as people were paying for the treatment they could not get.
The question was raised as to whether the NHS could pay for private treatment, as they have done in other areas where it cannot cope.
The committee agreed to write to the health secretary, Sajid Javid, urgently on the ‘serious lack of effective response’, in collaboration with council leader, Cllr Lora Peacey-Wilcox, and Island MP Bob Seely.
In the future, following changes in legislation through the Health and Care Bill, there will be a more localised approach to tackling dentistry problems.
Speaking to address the concerns, Alison Smith, managing director of the NHS Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said there will be a change in contracting with dentistry arrangements made regionally thorough the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System, not NHS England.
Ms Smith said it will be an opportunity for more local and bespoke arrangements but it won’t change the workforce challenges the Island is facing.
NHS South East is expected to release the oral health profile on the Island by the end of the year.
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