Just 6% and 15% of looked after children in the borough saw a dentist in 2020/21, and 2021/22 respectively, reports Marco Marcelline
Children in Waltham Forest’s care are the least likely in London to have seen a dentist for the past two years in a row. According to data published by the Department for Education (DfE) Waltham Forest was the worst-performing borough in London for looked-after children’s dental visits in 2020/21, and in 2021/22.
Just twelve (6%) and 33 (15%) of looked-after children in the borough saw a dentist in 2020/21, and 2021/22 respectively. There is a statutory requirement that children being looked after by the council have their teeth checked by a dentist once a year.
The statistic means Waltham Forest is significantly under-performing compared to other London boroughs. 39% of looked-after children saw a dentist last year in Croydon, which ranked as the second-worst performing London local authority, while 93% of looked-after children in Kingston upon Thames, the best-per forming London borough, saw a dentist in 2021/22.
When contacted for comment, Waltham Forest Council claimed that the latest 2021/22 figure for looked-after children was “incorrect as a result of under-reporting due to human error”. The council refused to comment when asked if the 2020/21 figure was also incorrect and did not respond to requests for updated or corrected 2020/21 or 2021/22 figures, except for stating that in June 2023 “43.96%” of looked-after children had their teeth checked by a dentist.
This still falls below the 71% average for London boroughs reported by the DfE in their latest (2021–22) published report.
Kizzy Gardiner, the council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: “The figure supplied to the Department for Education was incorrect, as a result of under-reporting due to human error. This is an issue that we were aware of and have been working hard to resolve.”
Cllr Gardiner added: “Our first priority is, and always will be, the health and wellbeing of our looked-after children and young people, and this includes their dental care.
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“Since this report was published, we have reviewed our data against that held by the NHS and are pleased to report that from 2023/24 we expect to see them showing an accurate report, with the number of dental check-ups for our looked after children among the best in the capital.” In 2019/20, DfE data shows 94% of looked-after children in the borough saw a dentist.
Meanwhile, House of Commons data has revealed that the borough performed below England wide averages for the amount of Waltham Forest children (35.5%) and adults (33.7%) who had seen a dentist last year.
NHS North East London, which received the delegated responsibility for the commissioning of NHS dentistry services from NHS England in April 2023, told the Echo: “We are committed to ensuring every one in Waltham Forest can access high-quality dental care; this includes looked after children.”
The spokesperson added: “We acknowledge that some people have found it difficult to register with a dentist and we are currently considering a number of approaches to improve access for patients in the borough and more widely across north-east London.”
The British Dental Association (BDA) cited the much-maligned NHS dental contract as a possible reason for the low figures. The dental contract effectively places a cap on the number of treatments that dentists can provide, as once they reach their contractual target, dentists aren’t paid for additional treatments.
The BDA also pointed to “failure” by successive governments “to fund NHS dentistry to meet the needs of the population” while adding that the lack of a national prevention programme in England (like in Wales and Scotland) “doesn’t help”. The Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Leyton and Wanstead, Tara Copeland, called the DfE figures “deeply concerning” and said they were evidence of children in care in Waltham Forest being “sorely let down” by the council.
Copeland continued: “The NHS has lost almost 700 dentists in the last year, however, the government’s poor performance cannot explain why Waltham Forest lags behind other local councils. We urge Waltham Forest’s newly installed portfolio holder for children and young people to get to grips with this as a matter of urgency.”
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