Councillor criticises NHS Lanarkshire after school dental service is axed
A councillor has criticised executives at NHS Lanarkshire after a school dental service was axed.
Representatives from NHS Lanarkshire confirmed that the service based at Firpark Secondary School in Motherwell would be shut down this month and the service officially closed on Wednesday 5th July. The service provided dental care for children with additional support needs and the decision has attracted criticism from several parents, including Tommy Cochrane, SNP councillor. Cllr Cochrane’s son attends the school and has been visiting the dentist there for 11 years.
Cllr Cochrane said that the decision will have a negative impact on children who attend the school. Many of them have autism or physical disabilities, and it can be incredibly difficult for parents to get an autistic or a disabled child to the dentist. He slammed the move as “absolutely ridiculous” and said that in his own experience, it had been a real struggle to get his son, Dean, to visit a dental clinic.
As a result of the closure, Cllr Cochrane is worried that children are going to have to take time out of school and face upheaval. The children who will be affected by the change are vulnerable and many of them struggle to cope with changes to their usual routine.
Deputy of public dental services at NHS Lanarkshire, Anne Moore, explained that children who previously saw a dentist at the Firpark clinic will now be treated at Motherwell Health Centre, which is a very short distance away from the school. She also added that the board was committed to providing vulnerable patients with access to the best NHS dental services.
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