Llanelli Dental Patients Facing a Lengthy Trip for Treatment
Dental patients in Llanelli are facing a lengthy round trip for treatment following the closure of Pencastell Orthodontics in Murray Street.
The service has moved to Carmarthen, leaving more than 1,000 patients from Llanelli and Burry Port with a 24 mile trip for orthodontic treatment.
The closure comes after plans to close the accident and emergency department at Prince Philip Hospital were unveiled. Local people have reacted angrily to the news and are campaigning against the closure of the department.
Representatives from Hywel Dda Health Board have also confirmed that Castle Hill Orthodontics will close and patients from both surgeries will be treated at the Orthodontic Centre in the Parade in Carmarthen from next week onwards.
A spokesman revealed that the move to Carmarthen was designed to improve waiting times, but patients are angry about the decision and believe it will make NHS services less accessible. A parent from Llanelli said that the move will mean that their child has to miss college to attend appointments as a result of the increased journey time and added that it seemed illogical to remove the service from a town where there is so much demand.
Local AM, Keith Davies said that it “wasn’t good enough” that patients had not been contacted about the closure and added that he had written to the chairman of the health board.
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