Horsham residents to lose NHS dental services
Residents in Horsham have been informed that they will lose access to NHS dental services in September.
Patients who are registered with Blackhorse Way and Causeway surgeries received a letter recently, providing notice that the practices would be stopping NHS care from the end of September. The surgeries are run by Portman Dental Care.
Portman Dental Care is keeping the practices open, but they will only offer private dental services from September 30th. In a letter to patients, representatives explained that the national shortage of NHS dentists has made it incredibly difficult to keep the surgeries running as NHS providers. The company has tried to pursue other avenues, but unfortunately, it has now reached the point where there is no option but to cease NHS services.
Kate Carey has been a patient at the practice for over 20 years and said that she was disappointed and angry when she got the letter. The changes will impact three members of her family. After reading the letter, Mrs Carey tried to find another dentist in the area but after two hours on the phone, she concluded that it was an impossible task. There are currently no available NHS places for adults and thousands of people are already on waiting lists.
Mrs Carey has contacted Toothless in England, a campaign group, which is pushing for improved access to dental services across the country. A representative from the group said that calls like those from Mrs Carey are becoming more frequent, with practices all over the UK switching to private care. They added that Westminster seems to be turning a blind eye to the crisis and urged MPs to act swiftly to prevent the situation from getting any worse.
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