People are struggling with dental care and mental wellbeing during the pandemic according to a patients’ watchdog.

A campaign called Because We All Care has revealed some of the challenges they have been facing in the past year.

Healthwatch Swindon communications administrator Emma Smith told the Adver: “At the moment people are struggling with dentists, so we are trying to support them as best as we can with that, but there’s a crisis in dentistry."

More than 1,300 people’s experiences of accessing dental care feature in a Healthwatch England report. One of the main problems is dentists not taking on NHS patients, leading to people suffering pain and complications.

The pandemic itself has led to distrust and fears Covid is being used as an excuse for poor service, a survey revealed.

“There’s anxiety of what is happening and that’s why we try to inform people about the services that are available to try to reassure people that things are going to be okay," Emma said.

“People are also concerned about their mental health as well. They find it hard through the pandemic but it’s important for us to let them know that the support is still there, and that the services are still running.”

A detailed report on organisations surveyed in Swindon is due to be published next week.

She said: “We’ve got evidence that proves that people are nervous, and there’s a lot of uncertainty and anxiety about what is happening with the services.

“When the vaccine was rolled out in December, there was a bit more positivity, people were supportive of the NHS staff."

As part of the campaign, people are invited to give feedback in a short survey.

“Some people want to be heard. We hear you, and if we work together, your individual voice can come collectively so then we can make a difference and change things,” Emma said.

“Sometimes there’s a lack of communication. We work together with the health services, and your feedback actually helps improve their services even if it’s negative. We can help the surgery and we can help the patient.

“If you let us know, you can make an impact because we can help improve these services collectively. If people are struggling to get through, we can help them and direct them.”

Carers, many of whom have been in the frontline in the battle against Covid-19, are also being encouraged to get in touch about their experiences.

“We’re focusing on carers at the moment to see how they’ve been affected by the pandemic. Their feedback really helps influence change as well,” she said.

The campaign runs until July. Those who want to share their experiences can visit healthwatchswindon.org.uk