Patients in Walsall are now being seen for oral surgery faster thanks to a raft of initiatives to speed up their appointments.

In June 2023 the wait time for a first appointment for oral issues, such as wisdom teeth removals, at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust was 56 weeks. This has now been reduced to patients waiting less than 12 weeks.

Mr Suresh Shetty, Clinical Director for Head and Neck, said the team had been working ‘flat out’ to reduce waiting lists and applying new initiatives to speed things up for patients.

He said: “We had a huge surge in referrals after the COVID-19 pandemic which saw our waiting lists skyrocket.

“We re-opened three months into the pandemic when other departments were closed as we felt we had the appropriate PPE and safety precautions in place.

“This worked well for us and soon we were opening Super Clincs and seeing about 50 patients every Saturday and Sunday as well as through the week.

“Our One Stop clinics were also so useful for patients as they were assessed, diagnosed and treated in the same day.”

Mr Shetty said the department was lucky to be supported by experienced clinicians.

He added: “We have two clinicians in the department who have been working with us for more than 40 years. Both are retired now but still come back to help with staff training. We have always had good succession planning to make sure the department carries on being successful.

“Our Dental Nurses are also highly experienced and have been with us for more than 30 years.

“We are so lucky to have an excellent team who work efficiently.

“We train our own staff which is rare as there is a national shortage in oral medicine.

“Our Executive Team has also been very supportive, backing our initiatives, which has also aided our success.”

Bhajan Kaur, Care Group Manager Division of Surgery, said the number of patients who cancel their oral appointments was also low thanks to follow-up calls.

She said: “I would like to thank all the team for their outstanding performance throughout the year in reducing the waiting times, so that patients get the right treatment at the right time. Keep up the good work!”