Scramble for new NHS dentist as 14,000 join queue

8 hours ago

Anne Marie TaskerEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire health and social care correspondent

News image — Bethany Sleeman says the practice was not surprised by demand for NHS care

BBC Bethany has blond shoulder-length hair and is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a navy suit and is sitting in a dental surgery, with a dentist's chair and equipment behind her. — Bethany Sleeman says the practice was not surprised by demand for NHS care

More than 14,000 people have registered online to join a dental practice, after it began offering NHS appointments for the first time.

Staff at Bridlington Dental Studio, which will offer 5,000 appointments per year to NHS patients, said they were taking about 70 phone calls a day from those who wanted to be added to the waiting list.

Bethany Sleeman, a manager for the practice's parent group, described the response as "shocking", but "not surprising", in an area previously described as a dental desert.

Two NHS practices closed in the coastal town in 2022, leaving only a single dentist offering subsidised care in a town of 35,000 people.

Previously, Bridlington Dental Studio only treated private patients, but after winning a new contract, it opened an NHS waiting list in May and began seeing patients on 3 August.

Sarah Whiting, the NHS Lead for the practice, said in addition to the 14,000 online registrations, reception staff had answered 2,300 telephone calls in six weeks from people asking for appointments.

While the NHS contract limits routine appointments to 5,000 annually, the practice also sees 14 emergency patients a day.

Ms Whiting said the team was working through the waiting list in order, but "prioritising" children and "patients in pain".

Susan has blond hair tied back in a ponytail. She is wearing a cream coloured hooded sweatshirt. She is sitting in a large grey chair in the dentist reception area. — Susan Reece has waited six years to see an NHS dentist

Susan Reece and her family are among those lucky enough to get NHS appointments.

She said they last saw a dentist six years ago and had chipped a filling on the back of a tooth since then.

Reece said she was "really pleased" to finally be seen "because I've just had to live with it".

One of her children was autistic and for some time "he wouldn't let anyone near him with a toothbrush", she added.

"I don't know what kind of damage he's done to his permanent teeth now because we've not been able to have anyone look at them and keep them right."

A dentist in navy blue scrubs is stood looking inside a patient's mouth. In the background, a dental nurse adds information to dental records on a computer screen. — Some NHS patients are seen in two new surgeries, which cost £50,000 to build

In April 2024, Bridlington was reduced to having just one NHS dentist, forcing patients to go private or travel for care.

Sleeman, head of operations for Genix Healthcare, which owns Bridlington Dental Studio, said she had heard "some real horror stories" about patients driving more than two hours to Middlesbrough to get emergency dental care.

She said it showed the company how much NHS services were "really needed here".

Cliff is wearing a khaki coloured pork pie hat and a red jumper with black and white stripes. He is sitting on a mobility scooter on a pavement, with parked cars behind. — Cliff Rose says it has been impossible to find NHS dental care in Bridlington

It does not take long to find residents looking for NHS dental care in Bridlington.

Hans Kinder-Stolter moved to the town from Scotland, but still travels back to Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, to see his dentist.

It means a 10-hour round trip by train, but he said it was worth it to avoid paying for private care.

"You get the treatment for £11, whereas here you're probably looking at £200-300, so it's actually cheaper to get a train to get your dental work done."

Another resident, Cliff Rose, opens his mouth to show the gaps where his teeth used to be.

"I have got false teeth but they don't fit anymore, because I've lost other teeth in between," he said.

"It's just been a struggle to find a new dentist in Bridlington and being a pensioner and invalid, I just can't go anywhere else to get it."