Carlisle dental practice terminates NHS contract
A dental practice in Carlisle has confirmed that it will terminate its NHS contract at the end of June.
The owners of Lismore Dental Practice have contacted the NHS to end the contract on June 30th. The move will leave existing patients who don’t want to pay for private dental care without access to an NHS dentist.
Representatives from the North East and Cumbria Integrated Care Board said they had written to local providers to see if any surgeries are willing to take on additional patients to boost capacity. If practices don’t accept new patients, a formal tendering process will be launched. The goal is to try to find alternative providers as quickly as possible to minimise disruption for patients.
Patients who will be affected by the impending changes will be contacted by the health board and information will be available to help them find a new dentist.
News of the closure of Lismore Dental Practice comes as Bupa Dental Care prepares to shut twelve practices in Cumbria. Most will close at the end of June. Across the UK, Bupa is closing, merging or selling 85 practices, leaving thousands looking for an NHS dentist.
A recent report revealed that there are currently no dental practices in Cumbria that are accepting new adult NHS patients. Longtown councillor, Tim Pickstone, said that residents are experiencing significant issues trying to access affordable NHS dental care, with more and more resorting to DIY dentistry as a result of restricted access to services and the current cost of living crisis.
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