Herefordshire patient's 150-mile round-trip to dentist

Stoke-on-Trent dentist Zoe Wray has handed her NHS contract back after 25 years

A patient on a dental waiting list for two years made a 150-mile round trip to his old surgery for treatment instead.

Colin Lawson, of Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, crossed the border into Wales for a filling after becoming frustrated at the delay.

Department of Health data analysed by the BBC shows almost 1,000 dentists working in 2,500 roles across England and Wales left the NHS last year.

NHS England said patients who most needed care should be prioritised.

The Herefordshire and Worcestershire region saw an 8% drop in NHS dentists in the past year, with 33 leaving the service.

Stoke-on-Trent has lost 20% of its NHS dentists

The British Dental Association (BDA) said unhappiness with the NHS dental contract was a key factor.

Mr Lawson said after moving to Ross-on-Wye two years ago he was registered at a dentist in Symonds Yat, about an hour away from his home.

"I rung them.. and asked where we were on the list and they said they had hundreds on the list and it would take another 18 months before I go to the top of it," he said.

He went back to his old surgery in Cardiff instead, and when the dentist said they didn't have time available to administer painkillers, he had the treatment without them.

"I had to have a filling without any anaesthetic because it would have had to be another trip back to Wales - another 150-mile round trip again," he said.

Eddie Crouch of the BDA says he's worried the situation will worsen

Stoke-on-Trent dentist Zoe Wray has carried out NHS dental work for 25 years, but is one of 20 in the area to have handed their contract back - a drop of 20%.

The majority of her patients had been children, she said.

"Luckily some of those children will still come and see me on a private basis.. but it is sad a lot of them will have to try and find a dentist elsewhere."

Critics have claimed the current dental system in England does not incentivise preventative work and is a key reason for dentists leaving the health service.

BDA chair Eddie Crouch said the situation was so acute that people are resorting to doing "DIY dentistry".

"Many of my colleagues don't see their future in the NHS but it does worry me.. because it may get significantly worse," he said.

"It needs not only urgent responses from ministers but officials within NHS England."

An NHS England spokesman said it had taken "unprecedented action" to support dentists throughout the pandemic including additional funding for practices unable to deliver their usual levels of activity, as well as setting up 600 urgent dental centres across England.

"People should continue to come forward for the dental care they need, and the care and treatment of people who need it most should be prioritised," he added.