News

Healthwatch Rutland has been in the news this week as we highlighted delays both in creation of the local Dental Access Plan, and in securing a new provider to improve appointment availability in Rutland.

At a meeting of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR), our Chair Janet Underwood talked about the unaffordability of private dentistry for many people and relayed your experiences of trying to get an NHS dental appointment in Rutland: 

“Some people are in pain … absolutely desperate. They are ringing here, there and everywhere and can’t get one”

Janet also drew attention to the fact that Rutland has the lowest rate of access to NHS dentistry of all the areas of LLR, with just 20% of people in the county having dentistry funded by the NHS in the second half of last year. 

The NHS has been promising a local Dental Access Plan as part of the overall 5 Year Plan published last year. This is waiting for creation of an Oral Health Needs Assessment to identify pockets of need and plan actions to address them. This Assessment, which was originally planned for Autumn last year, now won’t be available until after August 2024.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited process to procure a new dentist to increase appointments in Rutland is moving slowly, with new provision realistically expected to begin in 2025.

To find out which dentists may be offering NHS care in our area use Find a Dentist on the NHS website

If you have been unable to get an appointment for urgent dental care call NHS111 for help or access 111.nhs.uk

To tell us about your experiences of accessing dentistry in Rutland, leave feedback:

The NHS is asking people in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) to join a conversation about stopping gluten-free products on prescription.

The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (LLR ICB) has launched a six-week public consultation and is keen to understand the impact of stopping the prescribing of gluten free bread or flour each month, on patients and their families. 

Patients diagnosed with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis are currently prescribed a maximum of eight units of gluten-free bread or flour per month. Prescriptions for gluten-free products are taken up by approximately 1,300 people across LLR.

The public consultation, which closes on Sunday 25 August 2024, will inform future decisions made by the NHS as to whether it should continue to prescribe gluten-free products.

The LLR ICB’s proposals are based on a number of factors, including the increased availability of gluten-free foods. In the past gluten-free foods were less easy to obtain, so they were made available from local pharmacies via prescription. However, with an increased awareness of coeliac disease and gluten intolerance, as well as a general trend towards eating less gluten, there is greater availability of these foods in many supermarkets and online. Improvements have also been made to food labelling so that it is easier to see whether ordinary foods are free from gluten. 

Paper copies of the questionnaire can also be requested by emailing: llricb-llr.beinvolved@nhs.net or by telephone: 0116 295 7532.

Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire are running a campaign focused on mental health and physical wellbeing and we would love to hear from you!

We want to know how individuals in Northamptonshire feel about their health and wellbeing and what works best for them.

To find out this information we have created a survey, which should take a maximum of 10 minutes to complete. The questions cover topics like how you feel about your own health and what works best for you in managing your mental wellbeing and physical health. 

Once we have collected all the responses, a report will be created – providing recommendations for local authorities and health services based on the survey feedback from Northamptonshire residents.

We encourage everyone to give their views as feedback is crucial to improving the care you receive.