Rayleigh dental practice set to go private
A dental practice in Rayleigh, Essex is set to go private.
Patients at The Smile Centre have been notified of plans to cease NHS dental services. From June 1st, the clinic will only provide private dental care.
Patients, many of whom have been at the practice for several years, are angry and disappointed about the news. One patient, a mum who has been going to the practice for 19 years, said that she was “annoyed” because she has always been happy with her dentist and there are very few surgeries in the area taking on new patients.
She has a son with a neurological condition and will have to continue to take him to the practice because he is used to the team and familiar with the surroundings.
The practice already provides 80% of its patients with private dental services but will not accept any NHS patients from June 1st. In a letter to patients, representatives defended the decision and encouraged patients to consider using the Denplan scheme available to spread the cost of family dental care and lower prices.
The management team has been looking to switch to private only dentistry for some time and the pandemic has been a driving factor. Patients have been made aware of the situation and staff are on hand to answer queries and provide more information about private services, fees and Denplan cover.
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