The number of people who’ve seen an NHS dentist in Oldham has plummeted to just 46% in recent years, shocking new figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.

Less than four in every ten adults in Oldham, were able to secure an appointment with an NHS dentist in the past two years.  This is down from more than six in ten who saw an NHS dentist in the two years up to 2018.

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Far too many people across Oldham borough are finding it impossible to see an NHS dentist and get the affordable dental healthcare they need.”

“NHS dentist appointments are becoming harder and harder to secure in Oldham with every passing year.  Some practices are shutting their doors to NHS patients all together and yet the government says nothing” he added.  “As the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit households hard, private dentistry is not going to be an option for the many people living in pain.” 

The stark figures were compiled by the House of Commons Library following a request by the Liberal Democrats.  It comes as distressing polling has found that one in five (21%) of adults unable to see a dentist have carried out DIY dentistry in a desperate attempt to relieve their pain.

“The government has allowed a crisis in NHS dentistry to drive one in five patients in pain to take matters into their own hands” stated councillor Sykes.  “This is a complete disgrace and time is running out for the new prime minister and her government to get a handle on this as we head into what will be a hard winter for so many of us.”

Full data from the House of Commons Library on the number of adults and children seeing an NHS dentist by area is available here.

Original source: NHS Dental Statistics (Annual reports 2017-18 – 2021-22). 

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has offered condolences to the family of former Oldham Council Leader Jean Stretton.  

Councillor Sykes said, “I’ve known Jean since she was first elected for Hollinwood in 2003 and I’ve worked closely with her in number of roles; not least when she was Leader of the Council between 2016 and 2018.”

“She was Oldham’s first female Leader and a great advocate for so many causes during her time on the council, including Oldham Foodbank and the Credit Union.  Jean will be sorely missed by all who worked with her and today my thoughts and prayers go with her husband John, her two stepchildren, five grandchildren and her great granddaughter at this very difficult time.”  

Books of Condolence 

The Books of Condolence are now available to sign at Oldham Civic Centre, Trinity Methodist Church in Royton, Chadderton Town Hall, Failsworth Library, Crompton Library, Lees Library, Oldham Parish Church and St Chad’s House (Uppermill Library). The Books of Condolence will be open to the public during the opening hours for the respective building.

A National Condolence Online Book is also available to sign at www.royal.uk.   

Flowers

People are invited to lay floral tributes at the following sites: Oldham Civic Centre, Trinity Methodist Church in Royton, Chadderton Town Hall, Failsworth Library, Uppermill Library, Oldham Parish Church on the grass opposite the war memorial, Crompton Library and Lees Library. These will remain in place until after the Queen’s funeral. 

Civic Commemorative Service – Sunday, 18 September

People across Oldham are invited to a Civic Commemorative inter-faith church service on Sunday, 18 September, on the eve of the state funeral of Her Majesty the Queen. The service, to be led by the Revd Canon Jean Hurlston, is open to people of all faiths and begins at Oldham Parish Church at 6pm.

Bank holiday closure details: Monday 19 September 2022

Monday 19 September is now a Bank Holiday for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

This means some council services may be affected, as is usual for a Bank Holiday.

Please check before contacting or visiting the service you require.

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The public have been invited to take part in a National Moment of Reflection to mourn the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and reflect on her life and legacy.

The National Moment of Reflection will take place at 8pm on Sunday 18 September, the night before the State Funeral, and be marked by a one-minute silence.

The silence can be marked privately at home, with friends and family, out on doorsteps or the street with neighbours, or at locally arranged community events and vigils.

Community groups, clubs and other organisations across the country are encouraged to take part and people overseas are also encouraged to observe the one-minute silence at 8pm local time.

Details of larger-scale public events to be held across the country will be published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii.

I have been informed this afternoon that the Royton & Crompton Family Practice phone and IT systems were down. This is a result of work that was being carried out outside the building by Manchester City Fibre. It has now been confirmed that a cable that connects Royton Health & Wellbeing Centre to Werneth Primary Care Centre has also been cut.

A “P1” critical incident was raised with Greater Manchester Shared Service for Information Technology by the practice as soon as the outage occurred. GMSS has also logged an incident with City Fibre in order to try to repair the cable. They are awaiting a direct update from City Fibre and news on the deployment of an engineer for system tests.

The practice has swiftly implemented its business continuity plan as follows:

Comms / patient engagement

• Phones have been diverted to Go To Doc healthcare for today. Any calls that are taken that require action by the practice are being fed back to the admin team.
• The following message has been placed on the practice website

Urgent Message

There is currently a fault with the practice phone lines and computer systems.

please contact 111 for any urgent medical queries.

Please do not use this online form for urgent or emergency requests.

We aim to respond within 2 working days. For urgent or emergency requests for example suspected urine infections, mental health concerns and children under 5 please contact the surgery on 0161 357 2315.

• A message has also been placed on the “Royton Hub” group on Facebook, which is where a lot of patients share feedback about the practice
• The Patient Participation Group has also been informed

Service Continuity

• The practice is buddying up with Royton Medical Centre, who are helping with access to EMIS (GP It system) and patient lists
• If any urgent referrals are required – e.g. 2 Week Wait – practice secretaries will go over to Royton Medical Centre and ensure that they are processed there
• The practice has tried to use personal hotspots on mobile phones, but this has unfortunately not worked
• Some staff will work from home tomorrow using laptops and access clinical systems remotely
• The practice has spoken to the 3 pharmacies in Royton to brief them on the situation. The pharmacies are aware that hand-written scripts will be used for the time being and have agreed to contact the practice if they are any issues

Next Steps

• An up date is expected tomorrow AM. If required phones will be diverted to Go To Doc tomorrow, if the system is not fixed.
• The practice is intending to continue with all scheduled appointments in order to avoid a backlog.

Thank you to the team at the practice for their swift action and continuing to deliver core services in spite of the issues faced.

Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to His Mercy our late Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth the Second of Blessed and Glorious Memory, by whose Decease the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is solely and rightfully come to The Prince Charles Philip Arthur George:

We, therefore, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of this Realm and Members of the House of Commons, together with other members of Her late Majesty’s Privy Council and representatives of the Realms and Territories, Aldermen and Citizens of London, and others, do now hereby with one voice and Consent of Tongue and Heart publish and proclaim that The Prince Charles Philip Arthur George is now, by the Death of our late Sovereign of Happy Memory, become our only lawful and rightful Liege Lord Charles the Third,

by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories, King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to whom we do acknowledge all Faith and Obedience with humble Affection; beseeching God by whom Kings and Queens do reign to bless His Majesty with long and happy Years to reign over us.

Given at St. James’s Palace this tenth day of September in the year of Our Lord two thousand and twenty-two.

God save our gracious King!

Long live our noble King!

God save the King!

Send him victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us,

God save the King.

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has expressed deep sadness at the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. 

Councillor Sykes said, “Across Oldham and across the country people are saddened and shocked by the death of the Queen.  I have always admired Her Majesty for her commitment to public service and her dedication to our country.  It is now right that the nation will come together to mourn but also to celebrate her life and reign.”

“The Queen has been our Head of State for a remarkable 70 years and she has steered the country through enormous change in that time.  From the ruins of war, through periods of hardship and prosperity; and into the modern digital age.  When she first addressed the nation as a young princess, people listened to her on the wireless.  When she last spoke to her people as Queen her words were repeated in real time on social media platforms.  For many of us, the Queen has embodied modern Britain.”

“I had the pleasure of meeting the Queen in person when she presented me with my MBE a few years ago at Buckingham Palace.  What a great lady.”

“This is a huge moment in our history.  But our first thoughts should go to the Royal family.  While the nation is mourning a Queen, but they are mourning a mother, a grandmother; and a great-grandmother.”

“In particular, I want to send deepest sympathies to His Majesty King Charles.  The new King has the heavy burden of taking us into a new age.  I know that people will wish to show their support for him at this unimaginably difficult time.”

“God save the King!”