Concerns Raised Over Lack Of NHS Dental Places In Cambourne
Residents in Cambourne are struggling to see an NHS dentist as a result of increased demand on the town’s only dental surgery.
The population of Cambourne has grown to around 9,000 people, but there remains only one dental practice and some residents have experienced problems finding an NHS dentist. On an online forum locals have been swapping stories about their failure to get an appointment at the surgery and one user said they had been informed that the practice was no longer taking on new patients due to a lack of funding.
Practice manager, Kate George, said the surgery had been forced to stop accepting new patient applications because it had already exceeded patient numbers for the funding it receives. Dentists have already seen around 6,500 patients in the last 12 months, but there is growing demand for places, as the local population is increasing. George added that the practice would welcome additional funding, which would enable it to take on more patients and offer more services.
Councillor Clayton Hudson, from South Cambridgeshire Council, said that he did not think there wee any plans to extend dental services in Cambourne and Amanda Crosse, from NHS Cambridgeshire, confirmed that the practice is offering a range of NHS dental services and will continue to take new patients as and when places become available. NHS funding is not allocated based on population size and there are currently no plans to increase funding for the practice.
Join this Discussion