People with special needs are having to wait more than two years for access to a region's NHS dental service, a health watchdog has said.
An Isle of Wight Council committee met last week and heard wait times for the NHS Special Care Dental Service were ‘really worrying’, reports the BBC.
The service, run by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, provides specialised care for people with additional needs who cannot receive care in a general dental setting.
The NHS said it was aware of the delays and was supporting the island's orthodontic provider to recruit another dentist.
Healthwatch Isle of Wight manager, Joanna Smith, told the committee many people with ‘quite complex needs’ had been ‘struggling to access that service’.
Those that can be assisted by the service include children who have profound learning difficulties, mental health conditions, or severe physical disabilities and adults with a severe disability, medical, physical, or mental health condition, according to the trust.