Access to NHS Dental Services

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Primary Care
Country
England
Publishing Organisation
National Health Service (NHS): Outcomes Framework
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Safety
Domain
Wait and System Planning / Access

Defining Attributes

Definition

The weighted percentage of people who successfully obtained an NHS dental appointment out of those who tried in the last two years.

Numerator

The weighted number of respondents who tried to get an appointment in the last 2 years and were successful in getting an NHS dental appointment.

Denominator

The weighted number of respondents who tried to get an appointment in the last 2 years and answered either 'Yes' or 'No' to the question 'Were you successful in getting an NHS dental appointment?'.

Exclusions
Use of Risk Adjustment
Yes
Risk Adjustments

Age and sex, direct standardisation

Stratifications

Gender (Male and female) 10-year age bands (from 18-24 to 85 and over) Ethnicity Sexual orientation Religion Deprivation deciles (from 1- Most deprived to 10 – Least deprived

Data Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Surveys
Data Collection Methods

GP Patient Survey (GPPS) from Ipsos MORI (www.gp-patient.co.uk) Survey of adults registered with a GP Practice in England. The GP Patient Survey is commissioned by NHS England and is conducted by the independent survey organisation Ipsos MORI. Patients are eligible for the survey if they have a valid NHS number and they have been registered with a GP in England continuously for six months or longer. Additionally, to reduce survey fatigue, patients are not to receive more than one GP Patient Survey in any 12-month period. The GP Patient Survey includes a weight for non-response bias. This adjusts the data to account for potential differences between the demographic profile of all eligible patients in a practice and the patients who actually complete the questionnaire. Incorporates age, gender, factors from area of residence (level of deprivation, ethnicity profile, ACORN classification).

Frequency of Data Collection
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
Reporting Methods
Reporting Frequency
Reporting Frequency in Days
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
23 July 2025