‘We can’t find a dentist within 25 miles who will take on new NHS patients’ say Cambridge residents
Cambridge residents are having trouble finding any available NHS dentists in the area – with some finding they have to travel 25 miles for an appointment.
The NHS’s ‘find a dentist’ service reveals most practices are not taking on new NHS patients, or have not recently confirmed that they will, unless they are referred by a doctor.
Stefano Pozzi, a civil servant from Cambridge, received a letter from his dental practice, The Gables in Cherry Hinton, advising him that his dentist had gone over to private treatments only. He was offered the opportunity to join a private plan which would cover his routine dentistry.
After contacting the surgery, he discovered there was no waiting list for him to join for any of their other dentists. He began searching for a new practice - only to discover the nearest offering a place was in Hertfordshire.
A spokesperson for The Gables confirmed that patients could not be moved over to their other dentists as their books were full
Mr Pozzi said: “I pay my taxes and those taxes go towards NHS dentistry. As a point of principle, why should I pay for private treatment when we have an NHS system that includes dental services?
“I’ve sought to find a dentist in the Cambridge area within reasonable travelling distance and utterly failed. The nearest one that looked like they had a waiting list on the NHS website was 25 miles away in Hertfordshire.”
Another reader said she called five dentists, all with similar stories, and no availability on the NHS before 2023 – although they were offering private plans.
Data from NHS England shows more than 2,500 dentists – up to eight per cent of the workforce – stopped treating NHS patients last year. The number in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area dropped by nine per cent.
The British Dental Association said unhappiness with the NHS dental contract was a key factor.
An NHS spokesperson in the East of England, said: “We are committed to ensuring everyone can access high quality dental care in the local community, and are working closely with dental providers to improve access to services, including recently inviting NHS contract holders to take on additional activity where there is interest in doing so. Urgent and emergency dental care is available for those who need it, and people should continue to use the NHS 111 service for advice on where to go and for contact details of practices in their area.”
Visit nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist.
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