Cambridge patients claim there are no NHS dentists within 25 miles
Patients in Cambridge are struggling to find an NHS dentist. Reports suggest that there are no dental practices taking on NHS patients within 25 miles of the city.
The NHS find a dentist service indicates that there are currently no NHS dental practices accepting new patients in the city. The only services that may be available are for patients who have been referred for treatment by a doctor.
Civil servant, Stefano Pozzi, is one of many residents who have experienced difficulties trying to find a new dentist. Stefano recently received a letter from his practice, The Gables in Cherry Hinton, advising him that the practice had switched to private care.
When he called the surgery, he was offered the chance to enrol in a treatment plan and informed that there was no waiting list for any of the dentists. He started to search for an NHS dentist but the closest he could find was in Hertfordshire and there was a waiting list.
Mr Pozzi said that he didn’t want to pay for private dentistry because he pays taxes, which are partly used to fund NHS treatment, including dental care. As a “point of principle,” he added, he believes that everyone should have access to NHS dentistry.
Many others have a similar story to Stefano. There are several reports of people calling multiple practices, none of which have availability for NHS patients.
Some have started to offer private care alongside NHS dental work and others have terminated NHS services and switched to private dentistry. Data suggests that the number of NHS dentists in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough fell by 9% in 2021.
For more news click here.
Join this Discussion