Page 3699 - Week 08 - Friday, 24 August 2012

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(e) For routine treatment, there is no waiting lists for children and youth with appointments generally available within four – five weeks of contacting the clinic. All emergencies are triaged and appointments available within 24 hours to 21 days depending on the triaged outcome.

(7) In relation to young people between 14 and 17 years of age who are eligible for the Health Directorate’s child and youth dental service:

(a) Centrelink data on eligible young people aged between 14 and 17 years of age is not available;

(b) In 2010-11, 2512 young people accessed the service;

(d) For routine treatment, there are no waiting lists for young people with appointments generally available within four – five weeks of contacting the clinic. All emergencies are triaged and appointments available within 24 hours to 21 days depending on the triaged outcome.

(8) In relation to adults who are eligible for the Health Directorate’s adult dental program:

(a) Centrelink data on eligible adults is not available;

(b) In 2010-11, 6082 adults accessed the service;

(d) The mean waiting time for adults waiting for restorative dental treatment as at the end of April 2012 is 11.91 months. All clients experiencing dental pain or concerns are triaged and appointments are available within 24 hours for those classed as emergencies (those with facial swelling and/or trauma). Clients triaged as a priority class 1 are seen within 5 days, and those as a priority class 2 are seen within 5 – 21 days. All other clients are placed on the restorative waiting list.

(9) For clients who do not meet the eligibility criteria, the Health Directorate does not fund additional routine dental services for children, young people and adults. The Health Directorate funds an after-hours emergency dental service and an oral and maxillofacial surgery unit at the Canberra Hospital.

(10) The Health Directorate advises parents that their children are eligible for dental services via outlets such as the Maternal and Child Health Personal Health Record (blue book) and information on websites such as the ACT Health Directorate, ACT Government Concessions and some school websites.

(11) All children and young people are placed on a recall system based on clinical need and advised at their last appointment when they are due to return. An information sheet is provided to all adult clients placing their name on the waiting list advising of contact numbers for an emergency and to check their waiting list status. Adult clients on the waiting list are audited annually by letter or telephone to check their eligibility, contact details and review their clinical needs or priorities.

(12) There are a range of reasons which impact on average waiting times for dental care. These include workforce, infrastructure and budget.

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