Scramble for place on NHS dentist’s list
Aug 13 2008 by Ben Guy, The Journal
THOUSANDS of patients are facing a desperate scramble to find a new NHS dentist after yet another of the region’s practices announced plans to go private.
The Beech Cottage practice in the centre of Corbridge, Northumberland, will be writing to registered patients in the coming days informing them that the practice will only accept private patients from the end of October.
There are currently just under 6,000 patients on the books, a number which will be reduced to 2,700 when the practice goes private.
Now health bosses at Northumberland Care Trust are looking for applications from existing or new dental practices to provide the £300,000 worth of NHS treatment that is needed for Corbridge and the surrounding area.
In a statement released by the practice yesterday, a spokesman blamed the new Government target-driven payments system.
He said: “It has been a very difficult decision for us to move over to private practice.
“We have always been very committed to the NHS and have tried to resist the change, hoping that the system would improve.
“Unfortunately, the new target-driven system has made it increasingly difficult to continue providing the quality of clinical care that we feel that our patients deserve.
“We believe that the new contract does not serve either patient or dentist and instead prevents us from providing high-quality preventive dentistry.” The statement added that places for patients would be on a first-come, first- served basis, with a high uptake anticipated.
David Walton is a parish councillor and also a former patient at the practice.
He said: “There have been rumours that this was going to happen so it doesn’t come as a big surprise.
“We have two practices covering thousands of people, plus those in outlying areas, so the need is there.
“If they can identify somewhere for the patients to go instead, that would be helpful because a lot of people will be reluctant to go private.”
The other practice that currently serves Corbridge is at Hedley House in Princes Street.
