Health chiefs confirm plans for more than 1,500 new dental places in Kirklees
Health chiefs have confirmed plans to create more than 1,500 new NHS dental places in Kirklees this summer.
Health bosses have announced that 1,700 places will be made available this summer, with a further 2,000 to be created in the next two years. The new places will be spread across six dental practices in the Kirklees area and represent a funding boost of approximately £528,000.
The news comes after years of campaigning by local health watchdogs and MPs, including Kirklees and Dewsbury MP, Paula Sheriff. Kirklees is an area that has been underserved for some time, and recently, horror stories about DIY dentistry emerged in the press. Tales of residents resorting to gruesome measures to extract teeth underlined the gravity of the situation facing some people who couldn’t get a dental appointment with an NHS dentist. Charities have also stepped in to provide those who can’t access dental treatment with urgent care.
Research conducted by Healthwatch revealed that the number of subsidised dental places available in West Dewsbury was ten times lower than in the more affluent area of Greenhead in nearby Huddersfield.
Director of Healthwatch Kirklees, Rory Deighton, welcomed news of additional funding and extra places and said that the move marked the culmination of more than five years of tireless campaigning to improve access to dental services for the people of Kirklees.
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