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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2016/feb/09/pay-what-you-can-afford-dental-surgery-emergency-care
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| 'Pay what you can afford' dental surgery offers patients emergency care | 'Pay what you can afford' dental surgery offers patients emergency care |
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| Wracked with unbearable toothache, and unable to find a dentist to treat her, Claire Skipper resorted to desperate measures. “I had this pain for two or three days and it just got progressively worse to the point where I’d rather go through childbirth again than suffer this.” | Wracked with unbearable toothache, and unable to find a dentist to treat her, Claire Skipper resorted to desperate measures. “I had this pain for two or three days and it just got progressively worse to the point where I’d rather go through childbirth again than suffer this.” |
| So Skipper 29, went to her garden shed in the middle of the night and attempted to yank out her throbbing wisdom tooth with a pair of pliers. | So Skipper 29, went to her garden shed in the middle of the night and attempted to yank out her throbbing wisdom tooth with a pair of pliers. |
| Her story isn’t uncommon. A “pay what you can afford” dental surgery, the Real Junk Tooth Project, supported by a charity that usually works in the developing world, has stepped in to provide emergency relief in Dewsbury to those who cannot access NHS care or afford to pay for private treatment. | Her story isn’t uncommon. A “pay what you can afford” dental surgery, the Real Junk Tooth Project, supported by a charity that usually works in the developing world, has stepped in to provide emergency relief in Dewsbury to those who cannot access NHS care or afford to pay for private treatment. |
| Related: Emergency response service brings hospital care to older people's homes | |
| It launched after Paul Burr, founder of the Dewsbury Real Junk Food Project, noticed customers at its “pay what you feel” cafe were unable to eat because of severe toothache. When a dentist visited one day, it sparked an idea to offer free dental care to vulnerable people that slip through the net in a town where NHS provision struggles to keep up with demand. “They can’t afford food so they certainly can’t afford to pay private to get their teeth fixed,” says Burr. | It launched after Paul Burr, founder of the Dewsbury Real Junk Food Project, noticed customers at its “pay what you feel” cafe were unable to eat because of severe toothache. When a dentist visited one day, it sparked an idea to offer free dental care to vulnerable people that slip through the net in a town where NHS provision struggles to keep up with demand. “They can’t afford food so they certainly can’t afford to pay private to get their teeth fixed,” says Burr. |
| The project is supported by charity Dentaid, and is the first of its kind in the UK. On Thursdays between 6-8pm at the Dewsbury Dental Centre, dental professionals volunteer their time to administer treatment on a drop-in basis to vulnerable, low-paid, homeless and migrant patients, many of whom have not visited a dentist for many years. | The project is supported by charity Dentaid, and is the first of its kind in the UK. On Thursdays between 6-8pm at the Dewsbury Dental Centre, dental professionals volunteer their time to administer treatment on a drop-in basis to vulnerable, low-paid, homeless and migrant patients, many of whom have not visited a dentist for many years. |
| Locals like Skipper say it is almost impossible to register with an NHS dentist in Dewsbury. Nick O’Donovan, owner of the surgery, fields 10 calls a day from people looking to be added to the full NHS waiting list. A 2014 report by Healthwatch Kirklees found significant numbers of patients in Kirklees were struggling to find an NHS dentist for routine treatment. | Locals like Skipper say it is almost impossible to register with an NHS dentist in Dewsbury. Nick O’Donovan, owner of the surgery, fields 10 calls a day from people looking to be added to the full NHS waiting list. A 2014 report by Healthwatch Kirklees found significant numbers of patients in Kirklees were struggling to find an NHS dentist for routine treatment. |
| Nationally, dentists wrote a letter to the Telegraph earlier this year, decrying NHS dental care in England as “unfit for purpose”. But those involved in this project are adamant they are not out to criticise the NHS. Andy Evans, strategic director of Dentaid, says the wide scope of the health service means people slip through the net, and that Dentaid is working with them to address the problem. | Nationally, dentists wrote a letter to the Telegraph earlier this year, decrying NHS dental care in England as “unfit for purpose”. But those involved in this project are adamant they are not out to criticise the NHS. Andy Evans, strategic director of Dentaid, says the wide scope of the health service means people slip through the net, and that Dentaid is working with them to address the problem. |
| Evans says stories like Skipper’s, who attempted DIY dentistry after being told the nearest emergency clinic was in Bradford some 10 miles away, demonstrate the need for a project to simply help people get out of pain. | Evans says stories like Skipper’s, who attempted DIY dentistry after being told the nearest emergency clinic was in Bradford some 10 miles away, demonstrate the need for a project to simply help people get out of pain. |
| “If you can’t afford to catch the two buses from Dewsbury, or if you’re working in a very low paid job and you have to work evenings or nights and therefore you’re sleeping through the day then you might not actually be able to access a clinic at the time that clinics are open,” he says. | “If you can’t afford to catch the two buses from Dewsbury, or if you’re working in a very low paid job and you have to work evenings or nights and therefore you’re sleeping through the day then you might not actually be able to access a clinic at the time that clinics are open,” he says. |
| “Equally, a lot of these vulnerable people don’t want to sit in a waiting room, they’ll be a bit more self-conscious about filling out forms, and sometimes English isn’t their first language. So what we’re doing is breaking down those barriers by providing a friendly face with somebody from the Real Junk Food Project who comes to the clinic and is there for people when they open the door and see them. They know they’re not being judged and they can get out of dental pain.” | “Equally, a lot of these vulnerable people don’t want to sit in a waiting room, they’ll be a bit more self-conscious about filling out forms, and sometimes English isn’t their first language. So what we’re doing is breaking down those barriers by providing a friendly face with somebody from the Real Junk Food Project who comes to the clinic and is there for people when they open the door and see them. They know they’re not being judged and they can get out of dental pain.” |
| Patients braved the the lashing rain to attend a clinic at the end of January, where they were asked to fill in a medical history form before being treated. Some spoke little English, but a translator was found to help a Hungarian man who had suffered from toothache for six months. The most common treatments are extractions for those whose teeth are seriously decayed. All 35 patients who’ve used the service since the start of December were also given a full oral cancer screening. | Patients braved the the lashing rain to attend a clinic at the end of January, where they were asked to fill in a medical history form before being treated. Some spoke little English, but a translator was found to help a Hungarian man who had suffered from toothache for six months. The most common treatments are extractions for those whose teeth are seriously decayed. All 35 patients who’ve used the service since the start of December were also given a full oral cancer screening. |
| Related: Mix meditation, yoga and NHS services and get … wellbeing | |
| O’Donovan says the crisis in NHS dental provision in Dewsbury is because funding is insufficient for the levels of demand, while some other areas are undersubscribed. But as well as highlighting the imbalance, O’Donovan says the community are taking matters into their own hands. | O’Donovan says the crisis in NHS dental provision in Dewsbury is because funding is insufficient for the levels of demand, while some other areas are undersubscribed. But as well as highlighting the imbalance, O’Donovan says the community are taking matters into their own hands. |
| “[People] have identified a problem, and instead of going to the government and saying – ‘give us this, give us this’ – we’re just going to get it sorted. We’re not trying to make a point.” He says the project will move on to other local areas where there is a problem accessing dentistry. | “[People] have identified a problem, and instead of going to the government and saying – ‘give us this, give us this’ – we’re just going to get it sorted. We’re not trying to make a point.” He says the project will move on to other local areas where there is a problem accessing dentistry. |
| “So for people who are struggling with finding a dentist, who are in pain, we’re there for four to five weeks on a Tuesday or Thursday night.” | “So for people who are struggling with finding a dentist, who are in pain, we’re there for four to five weeks on a Tuesday or Thursday night.” |
| More than 11,500 new patients accessed NHS dental services in West Yorkshire between September 2014 and September 2015, according to Kathryn Hilliam, head of co-commissioning for NHS England (West Yorkshire). “However we do recognise that there are some areas in West Yorkshire where access to NHS dental care can be improved. | More than 11,500 new patients accessed NHS dental services in West Yorkshire between September 2014 and September 2015, according to Kathryn Hilliam, head of co-commissioning for NHS England (West Yorkshire). “However we do recognise that there are some areas in West Yorkshire where access to NHS dental care can be improved. |
| “To help achieve this West Yorkshire Local Dental Network is currently managing a project to tackle access issues. This work is being done in collaboration with partners including Dentaid and North Kirklees clinical commissioning group and is looking at dental treatment access for patients both in and out of hours. This work will then help shape the future commissioning of dental services in the area.” | “To help achieve this West Yorkshire Local Dental Network is currently managing a project to tackle access issues. This work is being done in collaboration with partners including Dentaid and North Kirklees clinical commissioning group and is looking at dental treatment access for patients both in and out of hours. This work will then help shape the future commissioning of dental services in the area.” |
| The Real Junk Food Project has fielded enquiries from elsewhere in the country, hoping to set up a similar project. They say relieving dental pain has a massive impact on people’s lives. Burr saw the project’s very first patient in Dewsbury in the days following his treatment. “The colour of his face had changed. He looked healthy. I’d never really clocked the fact that he looked pale, pasty and ill, and he seemed to walk around with a bit of an attitude and grumpy. Afterwards there was a big smile on his face.” | The Real Junk Food Project has fielded enquiries from elsewhere in the country, hoping to set up a similar project. They say relieving dental pain has a massive impact on people’s lives. Burr saw the project’s very first patient in Dewsbury in the days following his treatment. “The colour of his face had changed. He looked healthy. I’d never really clocked the fact that he looked pale, pasty and ill, and he seemed to walk around with a bit of an attitude and grumpy. Afterwards there was a big smile on his face.” |
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