Cardiff dentists struggling to cope with demand for NHS dental places
Dentists in Cardiff city centre are struggling to make places available for new NHS patients.
Although the NHS website shows that sixteen practices in the area are taking new patients, residents have found it almost impossible to find an NHS dentist with available places. Local resident Rachel Kinchin, said that she had been trying to find a dentist for ten years, with very little success; she had to resort to private care following an incident last year but said that the majority of people could not afford private dental care and urged the NHS to improve access to dental services in the Cardiff area.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said that all sixteen of the practices listed on the NHS website should be taking on new NHS patients within the next four weeks. Reporters from The Guardian newspaper contacted the practices but found that only six of them were accepting new patients; other practices said that they would accept new patients but they would be added to a waiting list.
Katie Norton, executive director of primary, community and mental health services for the health board, said that the trust was committed to improving access to NHS services for local residents. Recently, the trust pledged an extra £620,000 per year to help improve access to dental services; this money will enable eight new dental contracts, which will treat an extra 6,000 patients per year and provide 3,000 emergency dental appointments. An additional sum of £19,000 has also been pledged to improve provision in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan by the end of this financial year.
Patients who are struggling to find a dentist are advised to contact the Cardiff and University Health Board.
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