People fight tooth and nail to join Spalding NHS dentists
Around 1,000 people have applied to register with NHS dentists in Spalding when they see their first patients in January.
But as new surgeries prepare to open it has been revealed The Lawns Dental Practice in Long Sutton will stop treating children on the NHS from September 30.
Dr Petros Mapanda, principal dentist at The Lawns, said the “much-discredited” 2006 NHS dental contract meant the practice had ended up “treating more patients than we were paid for”.
The surgery continues to treat children under a membership plan and some will be seen free.
Dr Mapanda said: “Denplan for children is a simpler way of keeping up the great habit of regular check-ups for children without worrying about unexpected bills. Children aged 0-4 years will continue to be seen free providing they are seen together with the parent who is having a private or Denplan membership check-up with us.”
He said the NHS dental contract only recognised crude targets - units of dental activity - but did not reward prevention work or improvements in oral health.
Meanwhile it costs several hundred thousands of pounds to equip and run a practice.
Dr Mapanda said: “We were burning the candle at both ends - investing large sums in the practice while trying to keep the NHS contract going - but in the end something had to give.”
A spokesman for NHS England said the practice decided that it no longer wished to continue to hold the dental contract with NHS England and has written to its patients to inform them that the service will stop on September 30.
He said: “In the letter to patients, the practice has listed the neighbouring dental practices that NHS England has negotiated their agreement to take on patients from The Lawns.”
Johnson Community Hospital will have three surgeries run by Community Dental Services (CDS) CIC and hundreds of people applied to join after we published registration details.
A spokesman for CDS said: “So far we have had 800 people contact us to express an interest; we are collating these and will contact them in due course.”
JDSP Dental will be based in Winsover Road, opening 365 days a year, including Christmas Day.
Dr Jimmey Palahey, from JDSP Dental, said: “We have been very pleased with the 200 or so patients that have expressed an interest to register with us for the new NHS dental service in Spalding.
“We are working hard towards setting up for our January 2019 opening date and look forward to meeting all of those who have registered.
Dr Palahey said there is a new dedicated website for patients to submit their details - www.treelinedental.co.uk - and a phone service goes live in October.
Prospective patients for the hospital-based dentists can email dentaljohnsonhospital@cds-cic.nhs.uk or write to Johnson Hospital Dental Service, Spalding Road, Pinchbeck, Lincs PE11 3DT.
