AN Oxfordshire-wide survey will be carried out to establish the extent of the difficulties some patients have in getting appointments with NHS dentists.

A recent meeting the Joint Health and Overview Scrutiny Committee heard how local watchdog Healthwatch Oxfordshire had met with NHS England to raise the issue after hearing of limited NHS dental services in Bicester.

According to the committee report, health bosses revealed they were aware of ‘several areas’ within Oxfordshire where access to NHS dental services is limited.

The report said the problems were mainly in areas of housing and population growth, and that Bicester was one of them.

NHS England has since made a commitment to commissioning more dental services in Bicester early this year while also agreeing to improve patient involvement in the commissioning process.

Last year Healthwatch Oxfordshire carried a survey in Bicester revealing people felt concerned about the availability of adequate health and social services, such as dentists and GP surgeries.

People also questioned the current range of services provided at the community hospital in Bicester and said they wanted an increase in access to minor injuries services.

Healthwatch Oxfordshire has said it will now carry out a county-wide survey to discover the extent of limited access to NHS dental services.