Cowal Peninsula residents set up petition after last remaining NHS practice goes private
Residents in the Cowal Peninsula have set up a petition after the last remaining NHS practice in the area went private.
The new owners of the Hollies Dental Practice in Dunoon have confirmed that the practice will not be providing NHS dental services for adults. Currently, there are no available NHS adult places in Argyll and Bute.
The Hollies Dental Practice will continue to offer NHS care for children but under 16s must have a parent registered with the practice to access free NHS treatment. Parents can either sign up on a pay as you go basis or subscribe to a private dentistry plan at a cost of £23 per month.
Locals have launched a petition, which already has more than 700 signatures, following the news that no providers in Argyll and Bute have NHS spaces available. They are calling for urgent help to enable them to access NHS care.
One local parent said that she would have to take her child out of school for the day to take her to the dentist if she didn’t want to pay for care as a private patient at The Hollies, where she has been a patient for over 5 years. Vivian Crowe is now faced with a choice between paying for private treatment, travelling to the mainland via ferry or making a 3-hour round-trip. Speaking about the situation, she said that it felt as though dentistry had become a luxury, which was now unaffordable for most people.
For more news click here.
Join this Discussion