Chester MP voices fears over dental access as popular city practice goes private
The MP for the City of Chester has voiced fears over the future of dentistry after the owner of a popular practice in the heart of the city confirmed that his clinic was going private.
Chris Matheson said that there was a ‘growing crisis’ in the city, with the demand for NHS places far greater than the supply.
Mr Matheson spoke out after Dr Simon Gallier, the owner of Foregate Dental Practice, announced that the practice was going private. Foregate Dental Practice opened more than 40 years ago and it provides treatment for 7,500 patients.
Dr Gallier took over the practice in 2019 but despite significant investment, he is no longer able to make NHS work viable. He confirmed that the practice would go private on March 31st 2022.
In a letter to Mr Matheson, Dr Gallier said that it had been an incredibly difficult decision, but one that he was forced to make due to the current NHS dental contract and the way it works.
There are substantial financial penalties for failing to meet pre-pandemic UDA (units of dental activity) targets, Dr Gallier explained, which are no longer appropriate. Dentists are struggling to make ends meet and it has become impossible to carry on providing NHS services.
Speaking at a debate in Westminster Hall, Mr Matheson outlined the situation in his constituency and suggested that the crisis will get worse, with dentist numbers falling.
Some patients have contacted him saying that they have been advised to wait up to two years to see a dentist, and dentists, as well as MPs from all political parties, have criticised the existing dental contract.
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