NHS dental care shortage: thousands to miss out across the west

Some NHS dentists are moving to private practices because of low salaries, it has been claimed

A shortage of NHS dentists across the west means thousands of patients are no longer receiving treatment.

In one Bristol neighbourhood, the local dental practice is set to close at the end of June, leaving more than 7,000 people looking for alternatives.

Campaigners are now fighting to stop the closure of the Bupa Dental Health Care practice in St Paul's, and have vowed to protest outside every week.

The government said hundreds of new dentists have recently been recruited.

Some patients at the St Paul's practice say they have been told there are no NHS dental places available in Bristol, and the nearest ones are in Chippenham, Wiltshire, or Chepstow, across the River Severn.

Dentist Gaye Herford said some of her patients had been in tears during appointments

Gaye Herford, the lead NHS dentist in St Paul's, has worked in the area since 1995.

She said it had been a privilege to work in the "diverse, wonderful, thriving and challenged community", as she prepares to move to work in Keynsham when her current place of work closes.

"Everybody here absolutely has a right to ongoing, sustained, affordable NHS care.

"There isn't an option to go private, people can't just go off to a private dentist somewhere," said Dr Herford.

Councillor Amirah Cole warned some people may take dentistry into their own hands

She said there are many vulnerable, elderly and people on low incomes in the area and some patients had been in tears during appointments, as they are unsure what they would do next.

"I can take as many as I can who can travel to Bupa in Keynsham but many thousands of patients will not be able to transfer, because they don't have transport, they don't have the money," she added.

"I might as well be asking them to get to the other side of the moon, to be frank," added Dr Herford.

Danger of 'DIY dentistry'

Bristol city councillor, Amirah Cole, who represents Ashley Ward which includes St Paul's, said the closure of the practice would be "devastating" and warned some people might turn to doing their own dentistry.

"People will start doing their own treatments. They'll start Googling, 'I've got a toothache' or 'I've got a hole in my tooth' and how do they fix that," she said.

"I've already had people say to me that they've pulled out their own teeth," added Ms Cole.

Campaigner Nicola Strange said many people in the area will struggle to travel to other dental practices

Nicola Strange, a member of the campaign group fighting the closure of the St Paul's practice, said a petition had gathered almost 900 signatures, but that the problem was bigger than just her area.

"This is going to affect tens of thousands of people - because there's hardly any dentists in Bristol now," she said.

"They've been closing quietly here and there. If you want an NHS dentist in Bristol you have to go at least 50 miles."

She said she does not know where she will be able to find a dentist.

Campaigners say they will protest outside the St Paul's practice every Thursday

"It's not just that I have to find a new dentist - I'm losing my dentist. Gaye has been my dentist for 20 years, and she's brilliant.

"She's extremely skilful, she's completely dedicated, and this is the story you'll hear from hundreds of people around here," added Ms Strange.

Recruitment 'has increased'

The British Dental Association has told the BBC that the annual £3bn funding that NHS dentistry gets is not enough, but the government said it has increased funding for high-need patients.

The government said it had recently increased the number of NHS dentists by 500.

The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, which oversees NHS dental treatment in the area, said: "The pressure on NHS primary care dental teams is severe, with workforce shortages, high demand and a backlog to address."