Residents in mid and south Essex now have easier access to urgent dental care, thanks to a new appointment system that books out-of-hours appointments for patients.
NHS Mid and South Essex is leading the way nationally, with an innovative technology solution that enables NHS 111 to book urgent appointments directly into dental practice systems. This eliminates the need for patients to call multiple dentists in search of an available appointment, significantly improving access to care.
Since the technology pilot launched in May 2024, nearly 10,000 urgent dental appointments have been booked through NHS 111. Previously, patients requiring urgent treatment were given contact details for local dentists and had to arrange their own appointments. This new functionality removes barriers by allowing patients to secure treatment seamlessly and confirm their appointments quickly.
Fast and easy access to dental care means less pain for patients. Enabling NHS 111 to book the appointment for the patient removes a barrier to accessing care and has been key to the development of our dental access pilot.
The system also allows us to view the full, anonymised patient pathway, so that we monitor performance and understand the requirements of our local population, including when and where appointments are most needed. Booking and tracking appointments in this way is a first in England and informs service development so we can deliver effective dental provision.
– William Guy, Director of Primary Care at NHS Mid and South Essex
NHS Mid and South Essex has worked with Referral Management Services (RMS), the dental referral system provider, and WASP software, an NHS integration partner, to develop the application programming interface (API) between RMS’s Capacitee system and the NHS 111 system used by their health advisors.
The API enables NHS 111 to view available urgent dental appointments within mid and south Essex and book the appointment directly for the patient. The dental provider is notified of the booking and receives the supporting referral details collated by the NHS 111 health advisor.
Participating dental practices can also book patients into the urgent slots directly, should they be contacted directly by a patient, or to book further courses of treatment to complete the care for the patient.
IC24’s partnership with NHS Mid and South Essex, demonstrates the power of collaboration in delivering innovative solutions that enhance patient care. By utilising digital tools, we have been able to streamline patient access to dental services; improving triage processes and reducing unnecessary visits to other healthcare services.
The integration of digital solutions has empowered patients with quicker access to appropriate care, which ultimately improves health outcomes. It also helps future-proof healthcare. This pilot is not only addressing current needs but also setting a foundation for the future, using technology to create scalable and adaptable healthcare services for years to come.
– Dudley Mountford, Deputy Director of Integrated Urgent Care at IC24
The system is being used by the Integrated Care Board as part of its dental access initiative. The initiative has delivered almost 25,000 urgent dental appointments since it launched in September 2023, offering care during evenings, weekends, and bank holidays ensures that even those without a regular dentist can receive timely treatment when they need it.
Delivering urgent appointment provision is part of the Government’s manifesto which has pledged to secure 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments per year across the country.
The dental access initiative offers these additional urgent appointments included in the Government’s mandate and is expected to exceed the government’s target of delivering over 6,000 urgent appointments between April 2025 and March 2026 in mid and south Essex.