Bradford dental practice gets the green light to extend opening hours
A dental practice in Bradford is set to extend its opening hours after getting the green light from the council.
The owners of Dentistry@BD4 submitted a report to Bradford Council highlighting the need for increased dental service capacity in the city.
Janet and Alan McGlaughlin said that there has been a significant surge in the demand for complex dental treatment in the last year in addition to the backlog caused by the lockdown.
The dental duo suggested that it was difficult for dental teams to reduce waiting times and provide appointments for patients because of staff shortages, practices going out of business during the pandemic and some clinics opting to go private.
Janet and Alan applied to extend opening hours at the practice to enable them to see more patients and tackle the backlog faster. Patients are presenting with more complex issues because routine services are not yet widely available and there has also been an increase in potentially harmful lifestyle changes, such as snacking and eating more sugary foods during the lockdown.
Although the pandemic has undoubtedly exacerbated access issues across the UK, the British Dental Association believes that the current situation is so severe due to years of underfunding for NHS dental services.
The body is also calling for ministers and health chiefs to review measures, which are currently in place to reduce the risk of infection.
Practices can only operate at a reduced capacity and this means that patient numbers are limited and waiting times are growing. The BDA has also urged the government in England to follow their counterparts in Wales and Scotland and commit more money to restoring dental services and improving access, particularly in poorer parts of the country.
For more news click here.
Join this Discussion