Northumberland dental patients given hope over new dental practice
Dental patients in rural Northumberland villages have been given a glimmer of hope for the future of dental services, after NHS England confirmed plans to have a new dental provider in place by June 2019. Residents in Rothbury and Hadston have been facing an uncertain future after local dentist, Simon Francis, was forced to stop providing NHS dental services due to personal reasons.
Following the announcement that the surgeries owned by Mr Francis would cease to provide NHS services, residents were worried that they would be unable to access treatment without travelling a significant distance. Now, NHS England has confirmed that there are plans to have a new service up and running by June next year. Ros Goode, business manager for NHS England, admitted that it was a long way off, but stressed that the process needs to be executed in the right way to provide patients with the best care. NHS England is hoping to have a business case ready by August, which will enable the procurement process to begin in September.
Councillor Lesley Rickerby, who recently chaired a committee meeting about the future of dental services, said that people understand that there is a set process to complete, but insisted that it was essential for information to be communicated and for patients to be kept in the loop.
Previous endeavours to recruit contractors and dentists have proven difficult, as there is a shortage of dentists who have a preference to work in remote areas.
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