Two more dental practices in North Wales are to terminate their NHS contracts. Betsi Cadawaladr health board said that Llandudno Dental Ltd and Buckley Dental Practice will end their contracts from March 31 this year.
It is understood they will continue as private practices. The health board said it appreciated it was “disappointing” news for patients.
North Wales MS Llyr Gruffydd said this “devastating news” comes on top of two other two dental practices in Ynys Mon (Anglesey) and Wrexham announcing they’ll be ending their contracts this month”. He said it was the “effective privatisation of our dental services”.
In a statement to the MS, the health board said: “We wish to inform you that the contractors of Llandudno Dental Ltd (49 Madoc Street, Llandudno) and Buckley Dental Practice (Padeswood Road, Buckley) have advised the Health Board of their intention to terminate their NHS General Dental Services contracts, effective from 31 March 2025. The Health Board understands that both practices will continue to provide dental services on a private basis after this date.
“It is anticipated that both practices will ensure that treatments are completed and NHS dental services will continue to be provided to patients until the termination date. However, treatment requiring multiple appointments will become limited as the termination date approaches.
“This will clearly be disappointing to a number of your constituents, who will understandably be keen to secure alternative NHS dental provision. The Health Board does not hold information on which practices have capacity to accept new NHS patients, as this position is subject to regular change. We therefore recommend that patients contact practices periodically, to ask if they can be added to their NHS waiting list. Patients can find a list of practices and contact details on the Health Board’s website: General Dental Services – Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (nhs.wales)
“Patients finding themselves in urgent need of a dentist and who have been unable to locate a practice that can accommodate them should contact NHS 111 Wales by telephoning 111. An NHS 111 Wales call handler will triage their call and, if appropriate, direct them into an urgent access session provided by the Health Board’s Emergency Dental Service. Emergency Dental Service clinics are available each day of the week and are located at various practices across the region.
“Dental contractors continue to want to deliver NHS Dental Services within North Wales, as demonstrated through our tender exercise completed last year, where agreements for additional activity worth £1,588,149 were awarded.
“A further procurement exercise is ongoing in respect of General Dental Services, Orthodontic Services, Tier 2 Oral Surgery and Non-Urgent Access, totalling in excess of £5 million.”
They added: “While this additional activity will go some way to replacing provision that has been lost in recent years, we regret that access to NHS dentistry will remain very challenging, as it is across the United Kingdom.”
Plaid MS Mr Gruffydd said: “This devastating news comes on top of two other two dental practices in Ynys Mon and Wrexham announcing they’ll be ending their contracts this month. Even before those announcements, just 27% of people in the BCUHB area had access to NHS treatment.
“For patients at those practices, they will be faced with a stark choice – cough up hundreds of pounds a year for the same service as you get now or risk going without any dental care. It’s a rotten choice and will leave the poorest with no choice at all. That’s not what the NHS is about.
“I challenged the First Minister in the Senedd Chamber on Tuesday to take action to improve the situation. The Labour Government has introduced new contracts that, however well meant, are not working. New contracts are causing huge delays in treatment and that, in turn, is leading to No contracts.
“I’ve already made representations to Betsi Cadwaladr and I think it’s damning that the health board doesn’t even know how many patients have access to a private dentist and, therefore, how many people across the region have no dental cover at all. The long-term impact of this will be greater problems for patients down the line, but also a greater cost for the NHS as they have to deal with more serious health problems arising from rotten teeth.
“The effective privatisation of our dental services over the past decade and more has meant a saving for the NHS while piling extra cost on families, who often have to find £600 a year for a family of four just to get access to a dentist. Actual treatment can cost thousands more per individual.”
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