Complaints about dental care in England have hit a record high as patients continue to struggle to get appointments.
Our investigation revealed there were more complaints to the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman about dentistry this year than in the previous five years.
Across the NHS some of the most common complaints involved not being able to access dental care, the quality of care and treatment and concerns about costs.
The British Dental Association (BDA) recently revealed that 90% of dentists across the UK are not taking on new NHS adult patients and many refuse to see a child unless a parent is signed up as a private patient.
With more and more parts of the UK now being considered ‘dental deserts,’ where 100% of dentists are not taking on new patients, Medical Negligence Assist set out to investigate the current state of dentistry across England.
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How We Conducted Our Research Into Dentistry Complaints in England
We sent a Freedom of Information request to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman asking for the number of complaints about NHS Dental Care it has received in the last five years.
We also sent Freedom of Information requests to 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) across the NHS asking for the number of complaints it has received in the last 5 years.
We were informed – that the complaints process up to 2023 was dealt with NHS England and subsequently sent an FOI request asking for complaints in the years 2019-2023.
We acquired responses from the ICBs listing the number of complaints in the last year between April 6 – April 5 2023/24 as well as a breakdown of the most common gripes about NHS dental care.
Statistics On Dental Complaints Across The NHS
Lodging complaints about dental care in England can sometimes be challenging partly due to the way in which the structure of dentistry is set up in England. There are a number of ways to complain about NHS dental services in England. These include;
- Contacting the dental practice directly.
- Contacting NHS England who are responsible to commissioning NHS dental services.
- Contacting the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS England.
- Contacting your local Healthwatch who can help find an Independent Health Complaints Advocate in your area.
- Contacting the Citizens Advice
- Contacting the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who can help you provide feedback about a practice, which helps them decide where and what to inspect.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Complaints
Our investigation found that record numbers of patients are complaining to the NHS Ombudsman about poor care, exorbitant fees and difficulty getting treatment from NHS dental services in England, a new investigation has revealed.
Mistakes by dentists mean some patients are being left in agony – in some cases unable to eat – while others are being landed with huge bills for work on their teeth.
Our analysis of five years worth of complaints data revealed that figures are at record highs.
The current Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in Rebecca Hilsenrath, who was appointed as interim Ombudsman after Rob Behrens’s departure in March 2024.
The number of complaints she receives every year about NHS dental services has jumped from 1,494 in 2019-20 to 2,023 in 2023-24 – a rise of 35%.
What’s more the proportion of complaints upheld about NHS dentistry following an investigation increased from 65% in 2019 to 79% in 2022.
Results On Dental Care Complaints Across the NHS in England by Integrated Care Board
There are 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) across the NHS that provide dental services to patients across England.
Our investigation revealed the number of complaints each ICB has received about its dental care in the last year alone as well as the most common areas of complaints.
See the results in your area below including the total Dental Care Complaints in 2023/24 and a breakdown of the most common complaints.
East of England
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes
No. of NHS Dental Care Complaints in 2023/24: 10
Most common complaints:
- Access to Dental Care (4)
- Quality of care and treatment (4)
- Communication (2)
Suffolk and North East Essex
No. of NHS Dental Care Complaints in 2023/24: 64
Most common complaints:
- Access to an NHS dentist
- Access to an orthodontist
- Clinical treatment
London
South East London
No. of NHS Dental Care Complaints in 2023/24: 41
Most common complaints:
- All aspects of clinical care and treatment (23)
- Access to treatment/delay (1-5)
- Administration/Charges (8)
- Attitude staff (Dentist & Reception) (1-5)
- Complaint handling (1-5)
- Removal (1-5)
- Misdiagnosis (1-5)
- Lack of communication/information (1-5)
Midlands
Derby and Derbyshire
No. of NHS Dental Care Complaints in 2023/24: 2
Most common complaints:
- Treatment (2)
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
No. of NHS Dental Care Complaints in 2023/24: 45
Most common complaints:
- Clinical Care and Treatment (16)
- Removal from Practice (8)
- Access to NHS Services (7)
- Payments & Charges (5)
- Waiting Times (3)
- Attitudes of Staff (2)
- Funding Issues (1)
- Fitness to Practice (1)
- Environmental Issues (1)
- Access to Records (1)
North East and Yorkshire
North East and North Cumbria
No. of NHS Dental Care Complaints in 2023/24: 65
- Unable to access NHS Dental Care (65)
North West
Greater Manchester
No. of NHS Dental Care Complaints in 2023/24: 154
- Clinical Care (57)
- Access to Services (56)
- Charges (18)
- Appointments (11)
- Communication (5)
- Removal from Practice List (5)
- Staff Attitude (1)
- Waiting Times (1)
South West
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
No. of NHS Dental Care Complaints in 2023/24: 149
- Unable to Access Dentist (70)
- Clinical Treatment (53)
- Advice Provided by NHS 111 (13)
- Dental Charges (8)
- Communication (<5)
