NHS Shetland set to take on 6 new dentists to ease waiting lists
NHS Shetland is hoping to employ six new dentists to help reduce waiting lists on the island.
The trust is hoping to add six new dentists to the team at Montfield Hospital in Lerwick, a move which will make a huge difference to dental services. Currently, the trust employs ten full-time dentists but ideally, according to target dentist-patient ratios, there should be 18 full-time dentists working in the area.
The trust is also planning to phase out the three dental caravans and expand the existing dental facility at the Montfield Hospital.
Dental chief, Mike Collins, said that he is hoping that the six new dental chairs will be taken by independent dentists, who can provide both NHS and private dental care. Collins said that offering space for independent dentists would hopefully encourage dentists to go and work in Shetland; in the past, the trust has had difficulties holding onto dentists and attracting new ones, as many dentists tend to head for the bright lights of city practices, where salaries are higher.
Chairman of the NHS Shetland board, Ian Kinniburgh, said that plans to employ six new dentists were ambitious but perfectly plausible. He hopes that the new appointments will cut waiting lists on the island significantly and improve access to dental services for island residents.
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