NHS patients could be left without a dentist after a Bristol surgery closes at the end of June. Bupa Dental Care St Pauls is one of 85 Bupa dental practices closing nationwide, and patients there have spoken of their struggle to find a replacement.
Debra Newrick and her son have been patients at the practice in St Pauls for the last 12 years, but she said after recently searching for a new dentist, the closest one she could find that was taking on patients was in Wales. Penny Gray, who is also a patient at the St Pauls practice, thought she would be able to join another Bupa Dental Centre but said the nearest one with NHS vacancies was in Chippenham.
Both patients said they felt the St Pauls practice had been operating for several years without enough dentists. Ms Gray, who has been with the practice for the last 20 years, said she understood some had left and not been replaced.
READ MORE: Bristol dental practice among 85 set to close at the end of June
Ms Newrick said she and her son had struggled to get an appointment. As a result, she had already been searching for another NHS dentist in Bristol intermittently over the last two years, without success.
Ms Newrick said: “I can’t find an NHS dentist that’s taking under 17s locally. As a mum I’m willing to put myself to one side but I can’t even find a dentist for my son locally.
“I’ve been going down the list and calling dentists and being told there’s a two year waiting list. I did a search for dentists and our local one came up as Chepstow.
“I can go anywhere as a private patient but I can’t go anywhere as an NHS patient. I’ve been enquiring about how much private appointments are and I can’t afford them.
“I pay £23 for a check-up on the NHS so it’s triple the price and that’s just for a basic check-up. I really do feel like we’re going back to Victorian times with people pulling their own teeth out.”
Since patients were notified by email by Bupa regarding the closure at the end of June, Ms Newrick said she had tried to call them but was cut off before she could speak to a receptionist. She believes their phone lines could be particularly busy following the recent announcement.
While the email sent out to patients provided a link for those who want to join an alternative Bupa practice, none of the other Bupa practices in Bristol are currently taking on new NHS patients. Ms Gray said she found it “bizarre” when she clicked on the link only to discover that her nearest Bupa dentist was in Chippenham.
Ms Gray said: “Everything I hear is that it’s just impossible to find an NHS dentist. My dentist was brilliant, she was kind and committed to her patients but she was tearing her hair out because everyone was leaving and she was trying to pick up the pieces.”
While there is no shortage of UK dentists accepting private patients, accessing dental care under the NHS has become increasingly difficult, particularly over the last few years - including in Bristol. A 2022 investigation found the South West to be the worst-hit region. According to the BBC's investigation, 95 per cent of dentists in the region were not taking on new NHS child patients and 98 per cent were not admitting new NHS adult patients.
Bupa Dental Centre St Pauls is one of 85 branches across the county that are set for closure. All the other Bupa dentists in Bristol are to remain open.
Bupa has planned these closures as a result of staffing shortages and inflation. The company says they are helping patients find an alternative practice and have handed contracts back to the NHS which will help commissioners to open up a contract for a new dental provider in the area.
Bupa's response
Mark Allan, general manager for Bupa Dental Care, said: "Despite our continued efforts, the dental industry is facing a number of significant and systemic challenges that are placing additional pressure on providing patient care, in particular recruiting dentists to deliver NHS dental care. This decision enables us to focus our efforts on high-quality, continued sustainable care for patients across our wider portfolio.”
The British Dental Association (BDA), the trade union and professional body representing UK dentists, said the government needs to set out concrete plans on how to properly fund NHS dentistry. It says recent surveys have shown that over half of dentists have reduced their NHS commitment since the start of the pandemic and 74 per cent have said they have plans to reduce or further reduce their NHS commitments.
'A service built on sand'
The government announced in 2022 that they will provide additional funding which aims to make it easier for those with more complex needs to find an NHS dentist. While the BDA welcomes the additional funding they say it does not go far enough and the government has since announced an increase in patient charges of 8.5 per cent and according to a recent report from The Health Service Journal up to £400m of NHS dentistry's budget is set to be lost, as dentists are penalised for not hitting targets.
Shawn Charlwood, chair of the British Dental Association's General Dental Practice Committee, said: "These mass closures are just the tip of the iceberg. NHS dentistry is a service built on sand.
“Years of failed contracts and underfunding have taken their toll and more will inevitably follow. This crisis is hitting millions, including the constituents of Big Beasts from both Government and Opposition. Both sides need to wake up and set out a plan to save this service."
The Department of Health and Social Care was approached for comment.
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