Lochgelly dental practice owner warns of treatment delays due to school strikes
The owner of a dental practice in Lochgelly has warned patients that there could be delays in accessing treatment as a result of school strikes.
Aleks Wasiak, the owner of Canmore Dental Practice, said that appointments could be cancelled due to school strikes. The strikes mean that members of the team are having to take time off to look after their children, who would ordinarily be at school during working hours.
Aleks said that this year has been “horrific” for dental practices, with staff shortages and a surge in the demand for treatment following the pandemic. Now, Aleks said, teacher strikes are causing further disruption. Some members of the team are single parents and others have partners who can’t take time off, meaning that they have to be at home with their children. She admits that she doesn’t know what the solution to the pay problem is but stressed that it wasn’t “fair” to put it on dental teams and their patients.
There are fears that some patients who have already been waiting several weeks for treatment will have to wait longer. Some appointments scheduled for December may be pushed back to March due to shortages in staff during school strikes.
Aleks described the strikes as “another massive blow” and said that there was no option but to alter services. Dental teams all over the country are facing huge pressures and patients are unhappy. The reality, Aleks explained, is that everyone is doing their best and it’s not possible to “magic appointments.” She urged clients to be as patient as possible.
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