Barrow dental patients struggling to find an NHS dentist
An investigation carried out by a local newspaper has revealed that patients in Barrow in Furness are struggling to find an NHS dentist.
Researchers discovered that there are no dental practices in Barrow accepting new NHS patients at the moment. The majority have closed waiting lists and practices that offer both NHS and private treatment are only accepting new private patients. On the rare occasion that new patients were able to see a dentist, they were advised to join waiting lists or expect a wait of several weeks to get an appointment.
During the investigation, nine practices in the area were contacted and only one, Mint Dental, was offering NHS places. It has since been confirmed that even this surgery has closed the register. Both Cavendish Dental and Oasis Dental have shut down waiting lists due to demand for places, but the management team at Oasis Dental did say that they were in talks with the NHS to try and increase the number of places they can offer. Oasis Dental expects to inform patients of any changes in the coming weeks.
Oxford Street practice, Ardent Dental is accepting new NHS clients, but places are only available for under 18’s. Adults wanting to join the register have been advised to enrol as private patients.
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