Portsmouth health watchdog calls for new dental practices to open urgently
Healthwatch Portsmouth has issued an urgent plea to open new dental practices sooner than planned.
New practices are due to open in 2022, but the watchdog claims that urgent action is required to prevent a large-scale crisis in the city. Access has been an issue in Portsmouth since three practices closed unexpectedly in 2019. Colosseum Dental shut three clinics without notice, leaving up to 20,000 patients without an NHS dentist.
The watchdog has been collecting and passing on information from patients to health commissioners for two years, chair of Healthwatch Portsmouth, Roger Batterbury, explained. Mr Batterbury said that the process has been frustrating, particularly as access issues have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Mr Batterbury has called for the planned opening of new dental practices in the city to be brought forward to cope with a surge in the demand for treatment. He is particularly eager for a new surgery in Cosham to open as soon as possible.
There is a severe shortage of NHS places in Portsmouth and the issue was raised by local MP, Penny Mordaunt, recently. In a meeting with health minister Maria Caulfield, Ms Mordaunt appealed for urgent support for local practices to increase capacity in addition to consideration of measures for the future, including opening a dental school.
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