New dental practice offering NHS services coming to Wellington
A NEW dental practice offering a mix of NHS and private dental services is set to open in Wellington.
The news was revealed by Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, who received a letter from NHS Somerset supporting the plan.
A premises for the new practice is said to have been found, but needs refurbishment work, meaning an opening date is yet to be confirmed.
The letter, jointly signed by Dr Bernie Marden, Chief Medical Officer, and Jenny Albiston, Dental Strategy Clinical Lead, at NHS Somerset, said the provider will be offering a mix of NHS and private dental services, answering calls for more NHS dental access in the area.
'We know people in the Wellington area, and more widely across Somerset, want better access to NHS dentistry and we hope you agree this is welcome news," it said.
'This project is part of NHS Somerset's broader dental recovery plan, which contains a range of measures to improve access.'
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Mr Amos, who raised the issue of Somerset's need for more dental services in Parliament in November, said he welcomes the news and stressed the difficulties his constituents have faced who don't have access to an NHS dentist.
'This is great news – I'm delighted that our efforts have been rewarded,' he said.
'In 2022, before I was a Member of Parliament, I launched a survey of dental provision by the NHS in Taunton and Wellington.
'It showed that fewer than half of the people there had access to an NHS dentist. Three years on, things have, incredibly, got worse.
'Over half the constituents who contacted me did have an NHS dentist but were then told it was going private, so they lost it. That decline has been consistent.'
Mr Amos said his constituents are having to travel out of county and gave the example of one - a stage three cancer sufferer – who has had to use her savings to pay for dental treatment.
He added: 'This is good news for Wellington. Thank you to all those who have spoken out, who signed my petition or who have been pushing for better NHS dental provision in their own way.
'As Liberal Democrats, we ramped up pressure on the new Government, both by making the NHS and care our number one priority at the General Election and by working with the British Dental Association and others.
'As a team of 72 MPs, we have stopped at nothing in Parliament to push Ministers to provide more NHS dentists.
'This surgery, welcome though it is, won't solve the whole of Somerset's problems, so we will continue to make better dental provision and a better NHS generally, our number one priority.'
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