British Dental Association calls for change after patients queue for hours to register with new Llangollen practice
The British Dental Association in Wales has called for change after dental patients waited for hours to register with a new NHS surgery in Llangollen.
The BDA has urged the Welsh Government to act now to prevent five-hour queues for a new dentist from becoming the norm. Representatives from the body felt it necessary to speak out after pictures were published in the media and on social media platforms showing people queuing outside a new surgery in Chapel Street. Many waited for hours in the cold to get a chance to sign up at Beauwood Dental Care.
Some of those who were waiting to get to the reception desk shared photos of the queue, which stretched around the block, on social media. It is believed that some patients waited for five hours.
The town was left short of dental services following the closure of a practice in January, and many were keen to sign up with the new surgery as soon as the register opened.
The new practice registered 900 patients in just two days, and reception staff also took more than 600 phone calls.
The BDA in Wales recently accused the government of failing patients and said that there was a ‘postcode lottery,’ which made it incredibly difficult for many to see a dentist without travelling. In some cases, patients are facing a 90-mile round trip, according to the association.
Chair of the BDA’s Welsh General Dental Practice Committee, Tom Bysouth, said that it was unacceptable for people to be lining up around the block to access dental care in the 21st century.
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