Canterbury’s oldest dental practice calls time on NHS dentistry

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Canterbury’s oldest dental practice is to stop providing NHS dental services, it has been confirmed.

Bradley & Partners, which has been offering NHS dental care to local patients since 1948, will no longer provide NHS care after pulling out of its current contract. Principal dentist, Dr Nadim Safdar, blamed changes in the contract, which have increased bureaucracy and resulted in dentists chasing unrealistic targets under financial constraints.

Dr Safdar said that it wasn’t viable for the practice to operate under the current structure and confirmed that the practice would stop providing NHS services in the near future. The clinic will continue to offer private services.

The cessation of NHS services will come as a blow for local patients, with up to 15,000 people set to be affected. Dr Safdar, who is currently undergoing a fraud investigation, has set up a hardship clinic to help those who will not be able to fund private treatment. The Dental Hardship Clinic at Bradley & partners will be subsidised by Dr Safdar and his colleagues who will provide their services for free. The aim is to provide treatment for people who require urgent assistance and cannot afford to see a dentist.

Patients currently registered with the practice have been advised to look for alternative clinics in the area and NHS England is working on providing a suitable long-term solution.

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