Suffolk patient forced to travel to Cambridgeshire to see a dentist
A patient from Suffolk was forced to travel to Ely in Cambridgeshire to see a dentist after being unable to get an appointment closer to home.
Jo Churchill, MP for Bury St Edmunds, recently wrote an open letter to her constituents after receiving a number of calls related to dental provision in the area. She highlighted the example of the patient, who had travelled outside of the county to get a dental appointment.
In the letter, Ms Churchill, a former health minister, accepted that this was not a “suitable solution” and said that she had been reassured by the Chief Dental Officer and NHS England and NHS Improvement that steps had been taken to increase capacity.
Existing practices are taking on more NHS patients to try and reduce waiting times and there are also plans to open a host of new surgeries in the next 12 months to make local dentistry more accessible.
The NHS is in the process of procuring more contract providers in Suffolk, but the new practices are not set to open until next summer.
Ms Churchill stressed that she was doing everything possible to try and improve the situation for residents and she recently hosted an online session devoted to dentistry to listen to constituents and hear their stories.
Members of the campaign group, Toothless in Suffolk, are planning a protest in Bury St Edmunds on Sunday 17th October with a march planned for 11 am.
Campaigners want the government to take urgent action to increase NHS capacity and improve access to services in Suffolk, with many claiming that a 9-month wait for new practices to open is unacceptable.
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