Cornish patients visit NHS dentist in Wiltshire - 200 miles away

Patients have been travelling from Cornwall to get appointments at an NHS dentist in Wiltshire - 200 miles away.

Dentalcare in Marlborough opened in November 2022 and has also been seeing patients from Sussex - 100 miles away.

One of the dentists, Marie-Louise Babst, said some patients have not seen a dentist for more than a decade, leading to bigger problems.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told BBC Spotlight last week getting appointments was "too difficult".

He added the government had a "significant plan" to ease the shortage of places.

"I wanted to come to the South West because I know it's been a challenge here," said Mr Sunak.

Ms Babst said the government's new contract will only "scratch the surface" but it said it had listened to the profession.

The Dentalcare Practice is one of the few in in Wiltshire still taking new NHS patients and they are often coming from Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Sussex and even Cornwall.

The government recently published a dental recovery plan to increase the number of appointments across the country - but many dentists warn the current NHS contracts don't cover the cost of care, so they are making a loss.

Ms Babst said: "We work six days a week to try and help patients in need. We are doing all we can."

Sashi Gurung, the practice manager, explained that having dental therapists has helped

There is more than one person answering the phones, but practice manager Sashi Gurung said they have also developed an online form to make sure "the frontline wasn't overwhelmed".

Ms Gurung explained: "We also use dental therapists who can do check-ups, gum treatments and fillings, so the dentist can be freed up to do the complex treatments.

"That's how we are meeting demand."

They even offer evening and weekend appointments.

Despite everything, Ms Gurung has had nearly 600 missed appointments on the books since the practice started in 2022.

"We will be reviewing the books at the end of April - we might be in the position where we say we close them," she added.

Marie-Louise Babst sees patients from hundreds of miles away

Meanwhile, dentist Marie-Lousie Babst has seen the effects of people not being able to see a dentist.

She said: "Covid had a huge impact because patients couldn't access dentistry, so minor things became major issues."

She added some have not seen a dentist for 20 years, with a few losing their teeth, broken teeth, infections and long-term abscesses happening.

"People have been unable to eat properly. A lot of patients are in extreme pain and it's causing a lot of anxiety. They wouldn't go out in public for example because they're embarrassed," she added.

There is a note on the website as it opens explaining how to book and that dental therapists can be seen for basics

Both Ms Babst and Ms Gurung put their success in handling the demand down to a good team, but it is not certain how long it can be sustained.

Ms Gurung - a qualified dental nurse herself - said there needs to be pay reform for dentists.

Ms Babst sees a number of problems in the government plans which she said will not be "a solution to the problem."

Practices are paid for each treatment they do rather than appointment - for example, if there is a complex case that takes a few months to handle, they would have to wait to get paid at the end.

"It's underfunding for decades, because the budget has stayed the same. There are always promises but we never see those promises realised," Ms Babst explained.

She said it needs to be favourable to work for the NHS: "That's why we study dentistry, to help people, it's why I work on the NHS."

The government announced this month that dentists who set up practice in areas of England with poor access to NHS care will be offered a £20,000 bonus.

It will also be increasing the amount paid to practices for some treatments.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Dentists will be offered financial incentives to take on new NHS patients and the plan also includes £20,000 'golden hellos' for those willing to go and work in underserved areas."