Patients in Ledbury facing four month wait for dental appointments
Patients in Ledbury, Herefordshire, are facing a four month wait for dental appointments, it has been revealed.
Deputy Mayor, Tony Bradford, contacted his local NHS dental surgery to arrange a check-up but was told that the earliest appointment available was 4 months away; he said he was “horrified” at the wait. He then rang a dental surgery in nearby Malvern and was given an appointment in a week’s time.
Councillor Bradford said that it was unacceptable that people in Ledbury were forced to choose between waiting for an appointment and travelling to larger towns to see a dentist.
NHS spokesman, Karen Payton, said that the NHS had helped more than 25,000 people to access dental services in recent years but admitted that in some areas, waiting lists were longer than they should be. Ms Payton said that NHS Herefordshire had recently commissioned additional services in the Ledbury area, which will take effect from April next year. It is hoped that new initiatives will help to eradicate waiting lists and enable people to access dental services on their doorstep.
Patients who are struggling to access local dental services are advised to contact NHS Herefordshire’s dental helpline.
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