Big chunk bitten out of dental waiting lists

The Newman Government has slashed the number of patients waiting longer than two years for a routine dental check by more than 4,000 in less than three months.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said using national partnership agreement funding (NPA) to engage the private sector in the provision of emergency public dental services enabled public sector dentists to reduce waiting lists.

“When I signed the NPA on treating more public dental patients, I was aware Queensland faced challenges,” Mr Springborg said.

“The NPA aimed to provide public dental services for up to 80,000 additional patients in Queensland by March 2015.

“We had to overcome the withdrawal of $103 million in Commonwealth funding from our mid-year allocations and the serious disruption of oral health services across Central and South-East Queensland due to severe weather.

“What I didn’t count on was the determination of Queensland Health’s oral health staff to bite a massive chunk out of our public health dental clinic waiting lists.

“We’re already seeing an impact on the waiting times of public dental patients state-wide”.

The Minister said that as part of the strategy about $6 million worth of vouchers were issued to public patients for emergency, general or denture care from a private dentist or prosthetist up to a capped value.

“So far, vouchers represented 7,000 emergency courses of care, 4,000 patients requiring general dental care and 450 patients requiring dentures,” Mr Springborg said.

“By offering emergency patients the opportunity to see a private dentist, it enabled public dentists to devote more of their time to treating patients from waiting lists.

“Final year dental students under supervision were also used to boost the resources and allow the public system to treat more patients.

“During the first semester of this year, 62 dental students were placed in public dental clinics across Queensland, a 50 per cent increase on last year.”

[Ends] 23 May 2013

Contact: Cameron Thompson 0407 585 230