BlueScottyGirl

Hello fellow returnees. We're moving back to the UK after a few years of travelling adventures. Along the way our children have decided to stay in various countries so it's just myself and Mr Blue. This left us with pretty much the entire UK to consider as we don't have to think about schools etc. We've decided we would like to live in Buckinghamshire and be commutable to London and so far everything is looking great.
I can't seem to find out much about the healthcare though, I'm sure there used to be a chart or something that showed the wait times etc. for each region. I know there is turmoil at the moment but generally, I'd be hoping to be able to see a doctor or dentist quickly and not have to wait too long if I need a hospital appointment. Does anyone know the situation in Buckinghamshire, particularly around Milton Keynes?
Thanks in advance for any info.

mikelincs

I suspect that you can forget about dental care on the NHS, NHS dentists are as rare as hens teeth these days and, of course, until the government decide jus what to do about the NHs and start to fund it, and pay their staff what they are worth, then it will remain in turmoil, and with the new Covid variant about to strike then until there is a government change I don't see things improving.

old.sparkles

My daughter lives in Bucks but only just, and no where near MK. I did find a couple of links though:

https://waitingtimes.mkuh.nhs.uk/ApwtOpDatum

https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/...tments-3931647

tdrinker

One thing about NHS dentists, in the unlikely event you can find one, is that they don't do everything, e.g. they will provide an amalgam (silver) filling but not a white filling, which is only available privately.

This might help with NHS waiting times. Note that not only do they vary by NHS trust / hospital, but by treatment, so one location might have a long waiting list for one treatment and a short waiting list for another.

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hosp...es-in-england/

christmasoompa

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-que...rowns-made-of/

Plenty of NHS dentist availability where I am, ours is always advertising for new NHS patients, but I'm in Berkshire so no idea what the situation in Bucks is like.

HTH.

tdrinker

I'm surprised the attachment says the NHS do tooth-coloured fillings as my experience a year ago was an NHS dentist offering an amalgam (silver) filling at NHS rates or a tooth-coloured (white) filling privately (from memory, I paid around £150). I've yet to find an NHS dentist in my current location.

durham_lad

We pay privately, and in August last year I had my first treatment in 6 years, other than cleanings, and it was for a tooth coloured filling. Cost was £115. Our daughter has registered with the same dentist and recently been to see him. Initial exam was free and the films (X-rays) he took of her teeth were, to her, laughably cheap compared to what she had been used it in the USA. £17 for the whole jaw (4 films), and it is just the same as we are used to in the USA, immediately after taking the films he brings them up on his laptop and discusses them with you. For me he takes a full set of films every 2 years.

BristolUK

I think this illustrates the difference between what may be and what is. So 'white' is possible and if you, as an NHS patient, have a friendly dentist, they may make a case for "clinically necessary" and you get lucky. If you are not an NHS patient at the practice (or you are but your dentist tells you it's not 'really' clinically necessary) your dentist makes more money from your decision to go the private route.

Some Bracknell News research published in June 2022 says that of 100 Berkshire dental practices analysed, fewer than 15 were taking NHS patients without a referral. So that's already more than 80% that won't even take you as an NHS patient and doesn't even take account of how many of the rest will "be nice" about the white filling.

It's a good idea to remember why North Americans have traditionally laughed at British teeth. Not because treatment was poor, but because a lot of 'cosmetic' (but normal for North America) was not clinically necessary in the UK.

There are plenty of reports that suggest that while dentists will take on NHS patients, those are only the patients with a current exemption from NHS charges rather than those looking to avoid being on the hook for more expensive private costs.

christmasoompa

I don't live near Bracknell so no idea about the situation there, but if 15 out of 100 in just that town will take new NHS patients, seems the situation there is ok too. Still doesn't answer the OP's question about Bucks though of course.

My husband and I both have white fillings done on the NHS, both in back teeth. Not 'clinically necessary' and no argument needed to be made, we were given the choice. But I was simply correcting the assertion that a white filling 'is only available privately', as that's not correct any longer.

HTH.

tdrinker

Dentist numbers in Milton Keynes:

https://lginform.local.gov.uk/report...omparisonGroup

BristolUK

From the article
It's not 15 in that town taking NHS patients it's 15 out of 100 across the county. Or 85% not taking NHS patients.
Not in the scare mongering daily mail or other tabloids but respectable media sources like the BBC and the official organisation 'Healthwatch' are full of examples of reality.
Healthwatch confirms patients are having to wait anywhere between a few months to three years to get an NHS dental appointment and that difficulties getting NHS appointments have led to some patients feeling pressured to pay for private care.
In some cases, patients are opting to perform dental procedures on themselves.

• Quote:

  His regular practice with whom he was registered said it had removed him from its lists as he had not seen them for 18 months."I did call 12 to 15 other practices to see whether they were taking on new NHS patients," he says, "and absolutely none of them said they were." Neither could they recommend anywhere I could contact to try to register."I've had to buy a home filling kit in an attempt to do it myself.

• Quote:

  Sharrow Dental Care in Chelmsford has seen more than 11,000 emergency case patients since March 2020. According to the practice's clinical director Tony Clough, people have called them from as far afield as Newcastle and Edinburgh.

300 miles because people can't get a more local dentist.

For the OP, here's a Healthwatch report on Bucks.

christmasoompa

OK, so 15% that are taking them, and it's not a big county. I'm sure it's crap in some places, but it's also fine in others including mine, fingers crossed more people that do live in the UK (and hopefully Bucks) will be able to help with OP with their experiences.

BristolUK

Until they present themselves the news reports and Healthwatch UK studies of people who do live in the UK including Bucks, like those in the links I provided, will have to do.

BlueScottyGirl

Thank you for all your comments and thoughts. The info about dentists was interesting as I had forgotten a lot about dentists, particularly the need to go private for most, if not all, treatments. We're used to paying dental fees though so that will hopefully not come as too much of a shock.

Thanks too for the various links which I'll go through. old.sparkles, that is the information I was looking for regarding wait times :-)

brits1

My NHS dentist does both amalgam (at the NHS rate) and white filings which cost more but are a lot cheaper than at my husbands private dentist.