Shetland Dental Practice Reopening Delayed
The re-opening of a dental practice in Shetland has been delayed.
The private dental practice on St Olaf Street closed on Friday following the retirement of dentist, Alan Owen and NHS Shetland agreed to take over the practice, scheduling the re-opening for October. However, patients from the practice have now been told that they may have to wait another month.
The re-opening has been re-scheduled because the practice’s dental equipment has been sold to a rival bidder. Representatives from NHS Shetland spoke to members of Lerwick Community Council at a meeting on Monday night and the issue was also raised at a meeting on Tuesday.
The practice has around five thousand patients on its register who have been informed of the delay. Ralph Roberts, chief executive of NHS Shetland, said that it would take between two and four weeks to install the new equipment and assured patients that they would work as quickly as possible.
Former practice manager, Michelle Owen, said that the NHS submitted a bid for the equipment late on but a higher offer had already been received from a private dentist on the island.
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