The independent report has highlighted significant challenges in dental health services in the Island – which costs taxpayers £1 million each year to fund.
And independent experts Oral Care Consulting, who carried out the review for the Health Department and Social Security, were unable to say if this was good value for taxpayers’ money because of ‘poor quality’ information that was given to them.
Following their review of States spending on dental health and the services provided, they have recommended that the Island develops an oral health strategy in order to deal with dental costs for an ageing population and improve public health education.
Meanwhile, a separate review, carried out by an independent dental examiner, found that a quarter of five-year-old children in Jersey have tooth decay but had better teeth than children of the same age in the UK. (Parenting: Page 12).
In the report by OCC it was also revealed that there are lengthy waiting lists for dental treatment at the Hospital dental department, which can be up to six months for some patients.
The report showed that in 2014 there were around 500 children and people with special needs on the waiting list for their first outpatient appointment at the Community Dental Service, which costs around £350,000 a year to run.
This service provides free care and treatment for pre-school and primary school children, people with special needs and restorative dentistry problems referred from other hospital departments and primary care practitioners.
And there are around 350 orthodontic referrals waiting to be seen.
Referring to the lack of information provided, the report said: ‘Overall, the statistical (including financial) information provided to us was of too poor a quality to be of use in judging the probity, efficiency or effectiveness of the service provided.’
The report found that that overall data availability from the Health Department and Social Security was ‘poor’ and there is also a blurring of the roles of the two departments in determining patient entitlements.
It also recommended that the cost of dental care needs to be more open and transparent.
‘There needs to be improved openness about the costs and treatment plans for all individuals who attend for dental care.’
They have urged the departments to work with the Jersey Consumer Council to ensure that the public have priced treatment plans before dental work begins.
Social Security Minister Susie Pinel said that changes to improve services have already begun and has asked for more States money to fund elderly people’s oral care. It is part of the 65+ healthcare scheme which subsidises the cost of dental, chiropody and optometrist fees for pensioners.
Deputy Pinel said: ‘The report offers clear advice on what we can do to make improvements and I am aware that, with our ageing population, we need to be able to adapt to meet future needs.
‘We have already made a start by asking Islanders in the Jersey Annual Social Survey about their oral health and we have identified ways to improve how we manage our current benefits.
‘I have also put forward plans to increase our funding of the 65+ Healthcare Scheme which supports low-income pensioners with dental costs. If these plans are approved in October, we will be able to extend the scheme during 2016.
‘A new working group will be formed to improve services. The initiatives include: workforce development, governance and public health education. This working group will also create an oral health strategy for the Island.’
DENTAL care in Jersey is once again under the spotlight but, unlike many times previously, it is not the cost of visiting a dentist that has come under fire.
An independent report into dental health services, which costs the taxpayer around £1 million a year and is for those who qualify for free dental care, has suggested the whole system needs an overhaul.
And worryingly, the independent authors of the report were unable to say whether the money being spent on the system offers good value for money because of ‘poor quality’ information that was given to them.
Funding dental care for pensioners was of particular concern as no clear strategy seems to be in place to deal with the ever-increasing ageing population.
Lengthy waiting lists for dental hospital treatment, which can sometimes be up to six months long, was also highlighted as an area of particular concern.
Social Security Minister Susie Pinel has already promised action, and her track record, and that of the team behind her, would suggest she means what she says.
But as well as looking into the funding and the level of care received by members of our community, it is essential that she, and her fellow minister at Health, also addresses the concerns that Oral Care Consulting had over the level and state of information that the department provided.
As Jersey sets itself up to deal with both the looming black hole, but also a long-term care strategy, which Islanders will be paying for through additional taxation, it is absolutely essential that every department under its remit is performing as efficiently as possible.
