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Accessing NHS dental care

Accessing NHS dental care

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Find out how to access NHS dental care

North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) has a plan to improve oral health and increase access to NHS dental care across the North East and North Cumbria.

There are four ways patients can access NHS dental care:

Contact an NHS dentist

NHS dentists provide routine dental care and urgent care appointments during their normal working hours. Contact your regular dentist if you have one or search for a dentist near you.

If you have an urgent care issue and cannot get an appointment with an NHS dentist, try one of the options below.

Contact dentists that have extra urgent appointments

Selected dentists across the region have extra urgent appointments. A list of contact details for those practices can be found on the ICB’s website.

Book an appointment at an urgent dental access centre

Urgent dental access centres offer appointments to diagnose and treat urgent dental problems. Patients can book their own appointment at an urgent dental access centre at the ICB’s website.

There are 23 centres across the North East and North Cumbria, including three in Northumberland in Alnwick, Blyth and Hexham.

This is not a walk-in service so appointments must be booked in advance.

Contact NHS 111 for urgent care

Visit 111.nhs.uk or call 111 if you cannot find an urgent appointment with any of the NHS dental services above and have any of the following issues:

  • Severe toothache that causes pain that does not stop or cannot be eased by over-the-counter painkillers.
  • Dental abscess infections that cause swelling, pain and possibly fever.
  • Broken or knocked-out teeth.
  • Bleeding in the mouth following a dental procedure or an injury that does not stop by itself but can be controlled. If bleeding cannot be controlled in any way, emergency care may be needed.
  • Swelling in the mouth or face that could be a sign of infection.
  • Fractured, loose or displaced fillings causing pain.
  • Severe bleeding from gums or conditions affecting other soft areas of the mouth (such as cheeks or tongue).

The NHS 111 health advisor will discuss your needs and if needed, may be able to find you an appointment at an urgent dental access centre or an out-of hours treatment service.

Patients should only go to A&E or call 999 if they have:

  • Serious injuries to the face, mouth, jaw or teeth
  • Heavy bleeding from the mouth that will not stop
  • Severe swelling of the mouth, lips, throat or neck, and difficulty breathing or opening one or both eyes
  • Any injury to the head or face that has caused them to lose consciousness, vomit, or have double vision.

If you would like to tell us about your experience of NHS dental care or would like further information, please get in touch.

NHS dental consultation

NHS dental consultation

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The Government has opened a consultation on changes to the NHS dental contract.

People aged 16 years and over living in England are invited to share their views and help shape future NHS dental services.

Please read the full consultation page before completing the survey.

Have your say before 19 August 2025.

NHS dental consultation

 

This consultation is now closed

Join the conversation!

Join the conversation!

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A pain to complain

A pain to complain

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A pain to complain: new research from Healthwatch England

Healthwatch England has shared a new report which looks at some of the barriers people face when making a complaint about NHS healthcare.

Read the findings and recommendations

Key findings

Very few patients complain

Almost 24% said they had experienced poor NHS care in the past year. Yet more than half (56%) of people who experienced poor care took no action, and fewer than one in 10 made a formal complaint.

Low confidence stops people acting

Of those who didn’t make a complaint after poor care, 34% believed that the NHS wouldn’t use their complaint to improve services, 33% thought organisations wouldn’t respond effectively, and 30% felt the NHS wouldn’t see their concern as ‘serious enough’.

A poor complaints experience is common

Over half (56%) of people who made a formal complaint were dissatisfied with both the process and the outcome of their complaint.

Falling investment in support to help people complain

The budget allocated to councils to arrange statutory NHS complaints advocacy for local people has declined by more than 20% over the last decade.

People experience long waits for responses

On average, integrated care boards (ICBs) took 54 working days to respond to complaints they handled as commissioners of NHS services. Response times ranged from between 18 and 114 working days.

The NHS is not effectively learning lessons

NHS organisations do not effectively capture the right data about who makes complaints, do not welcome complaints or fail to fully demonstrate learning from complaints. There is little national oversight and accountability over the complaints process.

Healthwatch England’s recommendations
  • Make the complaints process easier for patients and their families to navigate
  • Monitor and improve the performance of organisations that handle complaints
  • Develop a culture of listening to and learning from complaints

Read more on the Healthwatch England website.

If you would like to talk to us about a health or care service you have used as a patient or a carer, please get in touch.

Join the Big Conversation

Join the Big Conversation

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Join the Big Conversation about women’s health

The NHS Integrated Care Board for the North East and North Cumbria is working with local Healthwatch to better understand experiences of women’s health and healthcare. We want to know what’s working well and what could be improved.

The Big Conversation aims to find out what matters most to women and girls when it comes to their health. As part of this you are invited to share your views about women’s health issues and accessing health services.

Join the Big Conversation by completing this short survey and tell us:

  • What matters to you about your health?
  • What is important when you use women’s health services?
  • How comfortable are you talking to doctors about women’s health issues?
  • What are your top health concerns?
  • Where do you find information about women’s health?

The survey will only take around 10 minutes and your answers will help create better health plans for women and girls in our region.

If you fill in the survey, you can take part in a prize draw to win a £100 Love to Shop voucher.

This survey has now closed.

Have your say on the NHS Constitution

Have your say on the NHS Constitution

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The Government has launched a consultation on the NHS Constitution, which sets out your rights as an NHS patient. It also includes the commitments the NHS aims to achieve so you get high quality care.

The Government is planning to make several changes to the NHS Constitution. You can tell the Government what you think about the proposals, as well as any other changes you think should be made.

What is the NHS Constitution?

The NHS Constitution outlines the founding values of the NHS and details the rights, commitments, and obligations of patients and staff, as well as their roles in ensuring the NHS works effectively.

The NHS Constitution plays a vital role in helping the NHS set the right culture and focus on what matters most to the public. It also tells you about your rights. For example, if a GP needs to refer you for a physical or mental health condition, in most cases, you have the legal right to choose the hospital or service you’d like to go to.

What is the consultation about?

The Government must update the Constitution via a public consultation every ten years to reflect what people value most when it comes to their health and social care services. The Government is planning to make several changes to the NHS Constitution. For example, they want to introduce a new right for patients and their loved ones to be able to request a second opinion when a hospital patient’s condition deteriorates.

The Government wants to hear your views about their proposals, as well as other changes you think should be made.

What are the proposals?

The proposals include:

Getting a second opinion: Changes that would empower patients and their families to ask for a second opinion on treatment if their condition or the condition of their loved one deteriorates. The rule would see more power put in the hands of patients.

Carer rights: A new right to involve unpaid carers as early as possible when a patient is discharged.

Patient communication: A commitment to ensuring the NHS communicates information about appointments in a clear and timely way to help patients meet their responsibility to keep or cancel appointments.

Health inequalities: A plan to strengthen the NHS focus on health inequalities by committing services to work with partners to understand the needs of their local communities.

Why is the consultation important?

We should all expect high standards of care, whether for emergency care, a dentist appointment, or a check-up with a GP. However, many people don’t know their rights under the Constitution. The consultation is your opportunity to learn more, tell the Government what you think about their proposals, and say if they should make other changes.

 

Have your say on the NHS Constitution: 10 year review

The consultation is now closed.

Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme

Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme

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If you’re referred to hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostic tests by a doctor, dentist or another primary care health professional, you may be able to claim a refund of reasonable travel costs under the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS).

What are the qualifying benefits and allowances?

You can claim help with travel costs if you or your partner (including civil partner) receive any of the following benefits:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Working Tax Credit (WTC) with Child Tax Credit (CTC)
  • WTC with a disability element or a severe disability element
  • CTC but you’re not eligible for WTC
  • Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
  • You receive Universal Credit and meet the criteria

You can also claim for help with travel costs if:

  • you’re named on, or entitled to, an NHS tax credit exemption certificate (if you do not have a certificate, you can show your award notice) – you qualify if you get child tax credits, working tax credits with a disability element (or both), and have income for tax credit purposes of £15,276 or less
  • you have a low income and are named on certificate HC2 (full help) or HC3 (limited help) – to apply for this certificate, you should complete the HC1 form: claim for help with health costs, which is available from your local hospital, Jobcentre Plus offices or the NHS print contract order line on 0300 123 0849.

How do I claim a refund?

To claim your travel costs, take your travel receipts, appointment letter or card, plus proof that you’re receiving one of the qualifying benefits, to a nominated cashiers’ office.

Nominated cashiers’ offices are located in the hospital or clinic that treated you. They’ll assess your claim and make the payment directly to you.

In some hospitals, the name of the office you need to go to may be different (for example, the General Office or the Patient Affairs Office). If you’re not sure, ask reception or Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS) staff where you should go.

Some hospitals and clinics do not have cashier facilities. In this case, you can complete an HC5(T) claim travel charges form and post it to the address stated on the form.

You can make a postal claim up to three months after your appointment took place.

Useful numbers

  • Call 0300 330 1348 for the dental services helpline
  • Call 0300 330 1343 for the Low Income Scheme helpline
  • Call 0300 330 1341 for queries about medical exemption certificates
  • Call 0300 330 1341 for queries about prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs)
  • Call 0300 330 1349 for the prescription services helpline
  • Call 0300 330 1347 for queries about tax credit certificates
  • Call 0300 123 0849 to order a paper copy of the HC12, HC5 and HC1 (SC) forms
  • Call 0300 330 1343 for all other queries

 

More information about travel costs at the NHS website

Experiences of NHS dentistry

Experiences of NHS dentistry

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Tell us your experience of NHS dentistry

People have been telling us about the challenges they face getting NHS dentistry.

Using your feedback we are working with the NHS Integrated Care Board in the North East and North Cumbria to help shape future services, including planning the next phase of the NHS dental recovery plan in the region.

Across the North East and North Cumbria, the local Healthwatch network is working together to tackle this important issue.

So if you live in Northumberland or anywhere else in the North East and North Cumbria region and have recent experiences with using or trying to access dental services, then share your experiences with us.

We are the independent champion for users of health and care services in Northumberland. Your responses will inform decision-makers in the North East and North Cumbria NHS Integrated Care Board (who are funding this research), service providers and partners including Local Authority Public Health teams.

As a thank you for your time we are offering £100 of Love2shop vouchers to a lucky prize draw winner.

If you require a paper copy or have any questions please get in touch.

Please leave your feedback before Sunday 31 March 2024.

This survey has now closed

Get your NHS Health Check

Get your NHS Health Check

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It’s easier than ever to access NHS Health Checks

It is easier than ever for people aged 40 to 74 to get a free NHS Health Check, with the service now available in even more locations across Northumberland.

As part of a pilot project, Northumberland County Council’s Public Health Team has allocated up to £300k over the next three years to test the direct delivery of NHS Health Checks by its in-house Health Trainer Team.

This new way of providing services will run alongside the GP offer and will involve Health Trainers delivering checks in targeted workplaces and community settings.

Free NHS Health Checks, commissioned by councils as part of their public health responsibilities, help relieve pressures on our NHS and care system, save lives and prevent people from developing life-threatening conditions by assessing the risk of developing heart disease and stroke, and provide advice and support to reduce the risk of developing these conditions, as well as dementia.

Local authorities have a statutory obligation to ensure eligible residents are offered a check every five years from the age of 40.

To be eligible for a health check you must:

  • Be aged 40-74
  • Be registered with a GP in Northumberland
  • Have not had an NHS Health Check in the last five years
  • Have no pre-existing conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease or stroke
  • Not be on statins

More information is available by emailing healthtrainers@northumberland.gov.uk or you can visit the Living Well Northumberland website.

 

If you would like to tell us your experience of booking and having an NHS Health Check, or any other health or care service you have used, please leave feedback.

Share for Better Care

Share for Better Care

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Share for Better Care

Last year, Healthwatch received nearly 400,000 experiences of health and social care. When services are under pressure, feedback on care can be crucial to identify what is working and what issues need fixing. But not everyone’s voice is being heard.

‘Share for Better Care’ aims to help more people give feedback about their care, especially if their community experiences poor health outcomes.

Your experience matters to us

The simple act of sharing feedback is already helping to improve care for the people who use it. We want people to know that their feedback, no matter how small, has the power to transform health and social care across the country.

Together we can improve health and care, but we can only make a difference if we know about your experience.

Have your say

Please share your experience and help us make NHS decision-makers aware of what needs to change to improve access to care, for everyone. We’re completely independent and impartial, and anything you say is confidential.

Share your experiences