Lancaster councillors call for GP and dentists’ talks amid ongoing care worries

Councillors on Lancaster City Council’s overview & scrutiny committee are calling for meetings to bring different people and organisations together, to hear their experiences and see if services can be expanded.

There are questions to be asked about availability of both NHS and private dental and healthcare, and whether the area’s clinical commissioning group is, in effect, planning for or paying for the right types of health services that the district needs, councillors believe.

A number of councillors described personal experiences of waiting for an dental appointment or no longer receiving routine calls from dentists to book appointments.

Earlier this year, Lancaster City Council was told the current primary care system for doctors practices was ‘dysfunctional’ and the current NHS competition system ‘did not work’.

The comments came from the leader of the Conservative group of councillors, Coun Richard Austen-Baker, during a debate in the autumn. Speaking at the time, he called on the city council take steps to encourage the creation of at least one new, independent NHS primary care practice in the district, including Morecambe, and for the general expansion of GP services.

He also called on the overview & scrutiny committee, which is intended to hold the city council to account, to establish an annual meeting to discuss healthcare with representatives of NHS bodies including local clinical commissioning group (CCG).

The clinical commissioning group structure was established by a previous Conservative government. CCGs are typically led by local doctors, working with other primary care professionals such as community nurses, who see patients and also commission (buy) services for patients from local hospitals, mental health units or ambulance services.

Elsewhere, the national body NHS England funds specialist hospital services, for example cancer care or heart surgery. However more change in the health system is forecast with the Government’s creation of integrated care systems. This is designed to co-ordinate medical and social care services between local doctors, NHS organisations and councils.

Coun Austen-Baker is also chairman of the city council”s overview & scrutiny committee, which discussed doctors and dentists at its latest meeting in December.

He said: “Lancashire County Council deals with healthcare at a highly strategic level. For example, it looks at county-wide issues, the big stuff such as cardiac treatment. It doesn’t look at why people in Morecambe can’t get an appointment with a GP. So it might be good to convene at this level [the committee] for talks between residents and healthcare providers. ”

Labour councillor David Whitaker said: “Dentists have stopped doing check-ups for a lot of people in Morecambe since the pandemic. It’s a concern for many people. ”

Coun Austen-Baker added: “Many dentists are private now. If these dentists are not able to see patients privately for a fee, that is a problem.

“The lack of private GPs in this area adds to the picture locally. Private GPs can relieve the burden on the NHS. In London, it was common for to have NHS practices with public and private patients. However, in other regions new practices tend to be totally private. I think we need to see healthcare and dental care in-the-round.”

Coun Whitaker added: “We should see what the clinical commissioning groups are putting forward. Is commissioning adequate? Perhaps there needs to be more check-ups for children? If children’s dental health improves then adult health will improve. ”

Labour councillor Alan Biddulph said: “It has been two years since I saw the dentist.”

Coun Austen-Baker added: “My dentist has stopped calling me.

“We need to speak to the clinical commissioning group as a minimum. We can get some questions in advance and maybe think about who else we would like to invite. A patients’ group. Some local doctors’s representatives. We have a few of them so we would need to make space for them in our meetings.”