Last London community dental clinic shuts
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- Published: Monday, 23 January 2017 07:48
- Written by News Editor
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NHS England’s closure of the “urgent dental service” in Kentish Town has been condemned for leaving the capital’s 8.7 million residents with only two busy hospitals to go to with teeth problems. The disappearance is the latest loss of walk-in services across England for people with emergencies such as a broken tooth or abscess.
NHS England said the service would shut on 31 March, even though 5,451 people used it last year and patients come from all over London to get treatment. An NHS England spokeswoman said: “We recently reviewed the service and found that there is sufficient capacity for patients who need urgent dental care at existing dental practices and so the closure of the service would not negatively impact patients in the area.
She added: “There are more than 1,250 high-street dentists across London where patients can access dental care when they need it. Londoners in need of urgent dental care should call NHS111, who can then signpost them to the most appropriate service for their treatment.”
But Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen of the British Dental Association retorted: “Access to emergency dental care is increasingly a postcode lottery. Inadequate provision is simply piling more pressure on GPs and A&Es that are not equipped to provide dental treatment. It’s absurd that NHS111 operators are asking patients to do ring-rounds of dental surgeries looking for a free slot at short notice”.
The BDA is urging the NHS to tackle the growing shortage of emergency dental services by arranging for high-street dentists to always have a certain number of emergency appointments available.
Dr Francesca Silman, a doctor whose practice is near the closing walk-in centre said: “It is irresponsible to shut a fantastic service that provides emergency dental care to patients without providing an alternative. Where do they think these patients are going to go? It is not acceptable to leave people in pain and in need of treatment, and this will only worsen the pressures already on GPs and A&E who can offer very little help to those that attend.”
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