NONE of Herefordshire's dentists are taking on new NHS patients without referral, as figures reveal the county saw a drop in the number of dentists working in Herefordshire over the last year.
A BBC investigation this week has revealed that nine out of 10 NHS dental practices in the UK are not accepting new adult patients for treatment under the health service.
And Herefordshire is no exception to the rule, as the Hereford Times found when we investigated the situation in the county earlier this year, finding that none of the county's dentists were accepting new NHS patients without referral.
Here, we have taken another look and updated our results. See the full list further down in this article.
NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCG saw the number of dentists drop by 8 per cent from 2020 to 2021, with 33 dentists leaving the sector.
Across England and Wales, a total of 2,500 dentists stopped treating NHS patients and, with many practices suffering difficulties in terms of recruitment, this has led to major staff shortages.
We asked Hereford Times readers if they had struggled to access NHS dental services recently, with many saying they had not been able to find or see an NHS dentist.
"I moved to Hereford a year ago and can’t find an NHS dentist, and none of them had an open waiting list for new patients," said Judith Withnell.
"The dental access centre a few months ago said they were only taking patients with facial swelling or uncontrollable bleeding. No fillings, no chipped teeth. I rang NHS England who said that they were under no obligation to make sure people could register at a dentist but that my nearest one was Malvern. I lost my license due to my health so that’s not possible."
Lucinda Timmins said she had come up against similar problems.
"Moved to Hereford over three years ago and have been unable to find an NHS dentist," she said,
"Almost managed to get in with a dentist in Symonds Yat but initial appointment was cancelled in March 2020 due to Covid and now they are no longer taking on new patients.
"Have been to emergency dentist at Asda and Gaol Street and they've been amazing. But haven't been able to have a routine appointment for years."
Others said they had been forced to register with dentists further afield in areas such as Gloucester and Tenbury Wells.
Information from the NHS service finder website shows no surgeries in Herefordshire are currently taking on new NHS patients without a referral.
St Owen Dental Studio, Hereford
This dentist is only taking new NHS patients who have been referred
mydentist, Hereford
This dentist is not taking any new NHS patients at the moment
Willows Dentistry, Hereford
Previously: This dentist is not taking any new NHS patients at the moment
Now: This dentist has not recently given an update on whether they're taking new NHS patients in the last 90 days. Contact them for more information
Collins House Dental Surgery, Hereford
This dentist is not taking any new NHS patients at the moment
Brighton Villa Dental Surgery, Hereford
This dentist is not taking any new NHS patients at the moment
Kyrle Street Dental Practice, Hereford
This dentist is not taking any new NHS patients at the moment
Bupa Dental Care, Hereford
Previously: This dentist is not taking any new NHS patients at the moment.
Now: This dentist has not recently given an update on whether they're taking new NHS patients in the last 90 days. Contact them for more information
Bupa Dental Care, Ross-On-Wye
This dentist is only taking new NHS patients who have been referred
Warrendale Dental Care, Ross-on-Wye
This dentist is not taking any new NHS patients at the moment
S.Owen & Associates Dental Practice, Leominster
This dentist is not taking any new NHS patients at the moment
Bupa Dental Care, Leominster
This dentist is only taking new NHS patients who have been referred
Acacia Dental Practice Limited, Bromyard
This dentist has not recently given an update on whether they're taking new NHS patients. Contact them for more information
Smith, Holloman & Associates, Bromyard
Previously: This dentist is not taking any new NHS patients at the moment.
Now: This dentist has not recently given an update on whether they're taking new NHS patients within the last 90 days. Contact them for more information
The Dental Surgery, Symonds Yat
This dentist is not taking any new NHS patients at the moment
We previously contacted all of these Herefordshire dental surgeries to ask them to confirm whether the information held on the NHS website is correct, and whether or not they are accepting new NHS patients, with or without a referral.
We also asked them to clarify why they are not accepting new NHS patients, if this is the case, whether they have faced difficulties with recruitment, and what they think the biggest challenges facing the sector are.
We did not receive a single response.
There are also dental access centres in Herefordshire, based in Hereford's Gaol Street, Belmont Road Asda, Ross-on-Wye, Leominster, and Ledbury.
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