More than 2,000 people waiting to see a dentist at RAF Marham dental practice
More than 2,000 people are on a waiting list at the dental practice based at RAF Marham.
The clinic, which is the first to be located at a Ministry of Defence site, opened in 2020 to provide dental care for military families. Two years on and the practice now has a waiting list of more than 2,000 people and waiting times of over a year for some treatments and procedures.
When the practice opened in March 2020, there was an influx of patients wanting to join and military families were able to access services on the doorstep. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit shortly after the surgery started seeing patients and there is now a significant backlog.
In 2020, the practice was one of the only clinics in the county accepting new patients, but the demand quickly outweighed the supply and closures and ongoing restrictions have led to significant waiting times for appointments.
The situation at RAF Marham is similar to that facing clinics all over Norfolk, which is one of the worst-affected areas in terms of dental access. Waiting times are increasing as the demand for services rises. There are still treatment backlogs to clear, and practices are struggling to fill vacancies, which is contributing to staff shortages.
Despite the challenges, health bosses insist that urgent care is available for those who need to see a dentist immediately. They also confirmed that capacity has increased at fourteen practices in the county under new measures introduced by the government to provide additional appointments during evenings and weekends.
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