Latest news with #Corkish
BBC News
24-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Dentists remove over 50,000 NHS patients from practice lists
Dentists in Northern Ireland have removed more than 53,000 NHS patients from their practice lists over the past two years, BBC News NI has 2023 and 2024, 114 dentists handed back their NHS contracts to the Department of Health (DoH), with many of these now doing private work of the 360 dental practices in Northern Ireland, only two are now fully Corkish said he was shocked to get a letter three weeks ago to sign up to a private plan from their dentist: "My wife has rung numerous dentists and everybody's saying the same, that they're only taking on private patients." Figures obtained by BBC News NI show that in 2023, dentists removed 12,924 NHS patients from their practices – but that figure reached 40,980 last figures also revealed that up to January this year, there were 192,780 fewer patients registered with a figure includes "lapsed" patients who have not attended their dentist for some time, and have fallen off the registration patients have been offered the chance to sign up to private dental payment plans, which cover basic check-ups and cleaning, with charges for extra treatments depending on the amount of money they have to pay in each Corkish, from Ballymoney, County Antrim, said he and his wife had tried to find other NHS dentists in their town and in nearby Coleraine and Ballymena but have had no luck. "It said that as of 1 July, the dental practice we're with is no longer offering that National Health Service and we're being given the option if we want to stay with them, to either obtain a dental plan or to just register as a normal private patient," he explained."Nobody's catering for National Health Service (patients) anymore."There's one question I would like to put to local politicians and MPs and ask them is this the end of national health dental treatment within Northern Ireland?" 'Huge demand' for NHS practices Kegan Lewis has the only dental practice in Dungiven, County is a predominantly health service practice with about 95% of its 4,500 to 5,000 patients receiving NHS Lewis said she faces "huge demand" from patients wishing to register with an NHS practice as "more and more practices leave the health service", but her surgery is at said that if her practice can no longer provide NHS dental care, there will be "vulnerable groups" unable to access a Lewis said NHS dentistry is a "highly regulated service" which follows a "high-volume, low margin model". "It's a professional service and that does create a cost burden for a dental practice to operate," she said."The fees are set by the Department of Health, but increasingly, these fees just don't cover the cost of being open and providing service to our patients." Private care 'unnecessarily expensive' One of Ms Lewis's patients, Dorothy Hegarty, said she would "prefer to rely on the NHS rather than go privately"."I just think it's very expensive and probably unnecessarily expensive," she said."People who have low income... shouldn't have to wait longer than the likes of me that maybe could go privately if I wanted to or had to."Mrs Hegarty said if her dentist closed in Dungiven it would be "quite serious" and have a "major impact" on a lot of people. Dentists' costs 'astronomical' The dentists' union - the British Dental Association (BDA) - has warned there may be further erosion of NHS services as the cost of delivering them means many dental practices are becoming financially DoH has been in a stand-off with the BDA over reforming the payments made to year, the department said £9m was to be invested in dental services in Northern the BDA says that falls short of what is required and is calling for further Ciara Gallagher, chair of the BDA's Northern Ireland committee, said the set-up and running costs dentists are facing are "astronomical" and the DoH's payments do not reflect these."You're in an impossible situation where you have to choose between accepting a patient who needs care or the viability of your business," she Gallagher said the Health Minister Mike Nesbitt's pledge for reform by 2027 was welcome but did not deal with the current problems. Patients with urgent dental problems can be treated under the Dental Access Scheme, which was set up for unregistered patients, asylum seekers and are 34 practices signed up to the scheme - which represents less than 10% of Northern Ireland dental BBC has made several requests for an interview with Northern Ireland's Chief Dental Officer, Caroline Lappin, but she was not made a statement, the DoH said the decrease in registered patients was down to people falling off dentists' lists because of not having attended for two years and practices not registering new patients. It said dentists were under no obligation to register health service had been investment in dental access schemes, which had also led to almost 34,000 children becoming registered with a dentists since June 2024, it department added that a review of dental services was under way, but said the budget allocated "is not sufficient to meet the needs of the current service, let alone introduce the kind of transformative change that is needed".
BBC News
09-04-2025
- BBC News
Mobility scooter users can apply to use bus route in Manx capital
Users of some mobility scooters can now apply for the right to use a bus route that operates from the city centre to the outskirts of the Isle of Man's Vannin users of the class 2 vehicles would undergo boarding and awareness training before being issued a permit to use the services on route 21 from government-owned operator said the scooter had not previously be allowed due to "inconsistent manoeuvrability" and issues with boarding on a number of Eric Corkish, who first called for a rule change in 2019, said while the time it had taken was "ridiculous", it would make a "big difference" to those eligible to use it. Anyone who would like to use the route need to complete the relevant paperwork, including providing details of the scooter, and undertake boarding and awareness user will then be issued with an identity card to be able to travel on the route, which starts at Lord Street in the capital, and visits Pulrose, Anagh Coar, Noble's Hospital, Vicarage Road and the Isle of Man Business government said data would be gathered from the scheme would be used when considering any future expansion of the scheme. Mr Corkish, who's left leg was amputated in 1994 due to blocked artery, said while he was fortunate enough to be able to drive, it was more expensive than taking the bus and "not everyone can drive to get about because of their disability".The Ramsey resident said a trial, which allowed him to board buses on his scooter from September 2019 to January 2020, gave him the chance to use more facilities on the island, such as the National Sport Centre in scooter user said while the service on the number 21 route was a "good move" that he would be applying to use, he saw "absolutely no reason" why it could not be rolled out across the had been "a long time coming", as "up until now I've been able to use my scooter to reach the steps of a plane but I can't ride a bus using it", he said. Improving accessibility Class 2 mobility scooters have a maximum speed of 4mph (6.4km/h) and cannot be used on a road unless there is no of Infrastructure political member Dawn Kinnish MLC said the new service would "ensure greater inclusivity" and allow the operator to gather data to help shape future services. Kinnish, who is also chairman of the government's Accessibility Steering Group, said she welcomed work by the Highway Services Division to introduce 30 new kerbs allowing step-free access between buses and pavements at suitable stops across the island over the next 12 raised kerbs were designed to assist those with mobility or access needs but also include a tactile finish to "help people with a visual impairment", she government has confirmed no other routes have currently been earmarked for a further widening of the scheme. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
