Dental Patients in Dudley Forced to Travel for Treatment
Patients in Dudley are being forced to travel to other parts of the West Midlands for treatment due to a shortage of dentists providing specialist treatment such as orthodontics.
Patients seeking treatment have been turned away for the last 16 months due to a significant difference between demand and supply for services in the area. Patients have been advised to travel to Birmingham and Solihull to see a dentist.
The orthodontic service had been running from Russells Hall Hospital with just one consultant in place to tackle a long waiting list. Health bosses had been unable to recruit a second specialist and now the consultant has retired, making the situation even worse for local patients. A locum has been recruited to provide dental care for those waiting for treatment, but there are concerns among local dentists about the future of the service and access to specialist treatment in Dudley.
Representatives from the service have confirmed that they will be advertising the vacancy and trying to secure a dentist on a permanent basis. However, chair of the Dudley Local Dental Committee, Sue Stevens, said that there is still “a major problem” with services in the area. The waiting list has already been closed for well over 15 months and this means that children who require orthodontic treatment are missing out.
Chief executive of the Dudley Group NHS Foundation, Paula Clark, said that it has been incredibly difficult to recruit for the position, and this has lead to the closure of the waiting list. There is currently a national shortage of orthodontists, but the trust is hoping to find a replacement consultant in the near future and the role will be advertised.
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