City to get two new NHS dentists

Patients will be taken on clinical need, not "first-come, first-served"

Two new dental practices are due to open in Hereford, to take on NHS patients.

They are the first in Herefordshire to take on new NHS patients for a number of years and a phone line has opened for people wishing to express an interest.

The first, on Commercial Street, is due to open in June, and the second, which will be south of the river, will open in late summer, the NHS said.

Both will be run by Central Hereford Dental Care.

It comes after NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board took over the commissioning of dental services in the two counties from NHS England in 2023.

People phoning the registration line will be asked to provide contact details and and some details about their need for dental treatment.

But the NHS has asked them to be patient and not attend the practice in person to register.

It said appointments would be offered on clinical need and priority and not "first-come, first-served".

The Integrated Care Board said it was "a step in the right direction", but recognised more needed to be done to improve access to NHS dental services.