Thousands of New NHS Dental Places Available in Cumbria
Thousands of new NHS dental places have been made available in Cumbria after the local NHS trust secured additional funding worth £1.5 million.
NHS Cumbria has written to 17,000 patients that are currently waiting to register with an NHS practice to inform them that new places are available in the county and offer them the chance to join a local practice.
The funding was made available by the Department of Health in March with a view to addressing lengthy waiting lists in Cumbria. The cash injection has enabled thousands of people to join practices across the county that are already offering NHS care. Patients that have been waiting the longest have been prioritised.
The letter sent out by NHS Cumbria outlines details of practices currently taking on new patients and invites patients to get in touch with the surgeries to register.
Many people have already snapped up the opportunity; however, NHS Cumbria has warned that patients need to act quickly after receiving the letter, as those that do not register within 3 weeks will be removed from the waiting list database. People who received the letter and chose not to register with a dentist will be sent a questionnaire to complete, which will be used by NHS Cumbria to identify potential problems with the allocation process.
Eric Rooney, a dental public health consultant at NHS Cumbria, said that it was excellent news that so many people have already registered with an NHS practice following the cash boost from the Department of Health and urged patients that have been contacted by the trust to secure a place at one of the practices offering new places. In some cases, patients may be required to travel.
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