Homeless Bristol in ‘agony’ over lack of dental services

Homeless people are in “agony” because they cannot access dental services, according to a charity which raises funds for private emergency care.

Emmaus Bristol said the people were rushed to hospital in a critical condition because their dental infections had spread to other parts of their bodies.

Among those who need help is Kevin. He said: “I’ve been laughed at because I don’t have teeth and that’s really hard for me.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We are committed to ending rough sleeping and tackling homelessness across the country, which is why we are spending £2.4 billion to do so, and Our dental recovery plan will create up to approximately 2.5 million. more appointments this year alone.”

The charity, which supports people to rebuild their lives after living on the streets, hopes to raise £5,000 for dentistry through a 1,600 mile challenge to walk, run or cycle.

People without an address are unable to register with a dentist and this is causing a devastating gap in their care, a charity spokesman said.

Even those with an address struggle to see a dentist because “most surgeries in Bristol are not accepting new NHS patients or have long waiting lists”, the spokesman added.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said rough sleepers could register with the area’s homeless health care team.

Despite this service, “uncertainty about rights” and “stigma and fear of judgement” often prevent homeless people from accessing dental care, a spokesman for the charity claims.

For Kevin and many others who cannot access NHS treatment, the pain from infected gums and severe tooth decay can be excruciating.

But he said the search for a dentist is a frustrating one.

“I’ve lost count over the last few years of how many NHS dentists I’ve tried to sign up with,” said Kevin.

“I just can’t get in, they keep saying they can’t take anyone new.”

Like many charities in Bristol, Emmaus has struggled to sign up former homeless residents like Kevin to NHS dentists.

Francesca Blishen, support manager at Emmaus Bristol, said they called every dental practice in Bristol on Kevin’s behalf – but to no avail.

“We’ve had to send people to A&E because of terrible infections,” she said.

“In one case, the infection was so bad that it reached their heart. Fortunately, they are fine now, but they were put on intravenous drip.”

She said it was also “horrendous” for the charity’s staff to see residents in agony.

“Some of the people who live with us have no teeth or dentures and can’t eat hard food, it has to be soft,” she added.

“Kevin is a very good cook but can only eat soft food like mashed potatoes.

“We’ve spoken to charities, we’ve spoken to the council and NHS hospitals and nobody seems to be able to help us.

“So we decided to take matters into our own hands, raise money and pay for the treatment instead.”