Warning of '140-mile round trips' to see a dentist
- Published
Kyle of Lochalsh is losing its dental practice
A community group in the west Highlands claims some people could have to make 140-mile round trips to see a dentist after their local practice closes.
Skye and Lochalsh Dental Practice in Kyle of Lochalsh is shutting because the firm that runs it is up for sale.
The dentists who work there are either retiring, or leaving the area.
NHS Highland said patients would transfer to a practice on Skye, but Kyle Collaborate said some have been told they may need to go to Dingwall.
The community group claims the Ross-shire town, which is more than 67 miles away, had the nearest available dentists, if patients could not be seen on Skye.
NHS Highland said patients would automatically transfer to a practice in Portree, 34 miles from Kyle. It said some patients may choose registration or treatment from another practice.
Maggie Byrne, of Lochalsh Collaborate, said: "When the dental practice shuts down there will be over 4,000 people without a dentist.
"They've been advised by NHS Highland to go to Portree or Dingwall, which is not at all suitable.
"There are many people here who live very far away from both Portree and Dingwall, and who may not have their own transport."
NHS Highland said there would be an automatic transfer of registered dental patients to Portree Dental Care.
The health board said there was a public dental service clinic at Kyle Health Centre three-days-a-week, providing dental care for priority patient groups.
It added that it was trying to recruit a full-time public dental service dentist to work between Kyle and Dunvegan Health Centre on Skye.
A spokesman said: "Unfortunately the national shortage of NHS dentists has significantly reduced access to NHS dental services in many health board areas.
"Within NHS Highland many practices have been unable to recruit to vacancies for dentists and this issue has intensified since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"This has resulted in many patients having access to only emergency care whilst their practice continues to make efforts to recruit replacement dentists."