Rayleigh dental practice owners defend decision to go private

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The owners of a dental practice in Rayleigh, Essex have defended their decision to go private.

Dentex, which recently bought the Essex Smile Centre, has terminated its NHS contract leaving local patients without access to NHS dental services.

The owners stressed that the decision to switch to private dentistry had not “been taken lightly” and blamed ongoing recruitment issues. A spokesperson said that it has not been possible to recruit NHS dentists to fill vacancies. This meant that the practice could not honour the terms of the contract.

The move has been criticised by local councillor, James Newport, who said that the demand for dental services is increasing due to new housing in the area. Mr Newport called for urgent funding to support NHS dental practices and ensure that locals are able to access affordable dental care.

Dentex highlighted a recent report from dental communications company, FMC, which suggested that up to 75% of NHS dentists are thinking about leaving the service within the next two years.

Cllr Newport said that he was increasingly concerned about the situation in Rayleigh. Numerous patients have contacted the council about dental access issues and he himself has had to travel to a different town to see a dentist.

Many residents cannot afford to pay for private treatment and those who can’t get NHS appointments are dealing with dental problems that will only get worse with time.

A spokesperson for Dentex said that recruitment is a UK-wide issue that is affecting practices across the country. There was no option but to terminate the contract at Essex Smile Centre because the team was unable to find more dentists willing to take on NHS work.

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