Patients in Bury St Edmunds facing 30-mile round trips to see a dentist

Sample News Big

Dental patients in Bury St Edmunds are facing a 30-mile round trip to see a dentist due to NHS closures, according to the local press.

Buryfreepress claims that a lack of available dental places in the town is forcing patients to travel further afield, with many facing a 30-mile round trip. Pressure on local services has increased recently due to the closure of one mydentist clinic and the other practice reaching capacity.

Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, said that Bury is the latest town in a long line to experience a shortage of NHS dental places. The BDA claims that a lack of funding is contributing to practice closures, recruitment issues and patients struggling to access the care they need on their doorstep.

Recent research revealed that it was currently not possible to join a dental register in 24 local authorities in England. Approximately half of the clinics listed on NHS Choices were not accepting new adult NHS patients and 42% didn’t have any child places available. In light of the statistics, the BDA has called for the government to take urgent action to improve access and enable more people to benefit from local NHS dental services.

Join this Discussion

Comments are closed.