Dental practice to stop taking NHS patients

The practice will stop taking NHS patients from 1 November

A dental practice says it will soon only offer private care as the industry is "on its knees".

The Hathaway Dental Practice in Chippenham, Wiltshire, will no longer provide NHS services to its patients from 1 November.

Practice director, Keith Garber, said the decision to switch to private was a "very reluctant" one driven by a lack of applications for positions left by NHS dentists who had quit.

Labour has pledged to reform the dental contract system to make it viable for dentists.

The British Dental Association (BDA) has warned of an "unprecedented collapse" in dentistry, with many dentists pulling out of NHS contracts because they are overworked and underfunded.

The organisation said the reason for the widespread transfer to private practice was the NHS Dental Contract, negotiated with the government in 2006.

Under the contract, dentists are paid, depending on the type of treatment, starting at £28 for what is termed as a Unit of Dental Activity.

The practice said it had been unable to fill positions left by NHS staff

Mr Garber, said the practice had lost four NHS dentists in the past few months, and despite putting out an advertisement for replacements, it had received no applicants.

"This is not just us, this is across the country. Look at the bigger picture with NHS dentistry.

"It's on its knees, and it's not going to be sorted out for years," he said.

The Dr Michael Frain Ltd branch said it would instead be offering dental plans on a subscription basis, where patients pay monthly for check-ups.

"We've been very proud of being the biggest NHS dental provider in Wiltshire in the past, and it was an option of either doing this or closing the practice," Mr Garber added.

Under the practice's new DenPlan scheme, patients would pay a monthly fee of £13 or £19.70

Liberal Democrat MP for the town, Sarah Gibson, said she had been assured Health Secretary Wes Streeting knew the existing dental contract was "not fit for purpose".

"They're making this an absolute priority to do something about it, to try and improve the offer for dentists," she said.

A spokesperson for the Integrated Care Board covering Chippenham said it was aware of the difficulties people had getting an NHS dentist and it was working hard to improve access.

Labour has pledged to reform the national dental contract and provide an extra 700,000 urgent dental appointments, as well as investment in early prevention care.