Durness residents demand NHS dentistry
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- Published: Friday, 08 November 2013 08:56
- Written by News Editor
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Almost half the residents of Durness, Scotland have signed a petition urging NHS Highland to provide a dentist locally. A survey carried out by the village’s community council has exposed the problems of travelling to the nearest dental surgery at Lairg, some 56 miles away. But many patients travel to Inverness to see their dentist.
Council chairman Kevin Crowe was horrified to learn that at least one individual opted to have treatment without anaesthetic to avoid the need for a costly return trip to the dentist. The research was prompted by growing concern at the cost and inconvenience of travelling so far for regular dental check-ups and treatment. In recent weeks, the community council has gauged the thinking of villagers who have used NHS dental services over the past year. Durness has been without a dentist for about a decade.
Mr Crowe said each visit required people of working age to take time off. He highlighted the added inconvenience for the self-employed, plus the burden of the area’s higher fuel costs. Mr Crowe said: “The most shocking revelation was that at least one person chose to have treatment without anaesthetic rather than having to make yet another journey. That isn’t 21st century dentistry, it’s 19th century dentistry. I would remind NHS managers that we are supposed to have a national health service.” The NHS said they withdrew a part-time dentist from Durness and Tongue, a village 29 miles away, due to outdated facilities and difficulty recruiting dentists willing to travel the distances needed to cover the area.
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