A man has described the NHS as "completely broken" after being forced to use a Nottingham dentist despite living 80 miles away in Lincolnshire. Stephen Palmer, 67, lives in Sutton on Sea in Mablethorpe but was unable to register with a Lincolnshire dentist and suffered two painful episodes with his "deteriorating teeth."
He eventually managed to get an appointment with a Nottingham NHS dentist last December. Mr Palmer, who has gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) cancer, said the treatment with Seven Dental in Nottingham cost £65.50 each for himself and his wife, Pauline Palmer, 66, which included a filling and a full teeth clean, reports Lincolnshire Live.
He added that he had to pay an additional £35 due to accidentally driving into a bus lane, which added "insult to injury" to having to drive so far for treatment. He said: "It's very inconvenient. We shouldn't have to travel that far to get to a dentist at all, even if you're fit and healthy. I don't drive so I have to rely on my husband so if he couldn't go I wouldn't be able to either, it's stressful.
Read more: Bus diversions as Nottinghamshire village flood leads to emergency road closure
"I was relieved that we had found a dentist but I was annoyed that we had to go that far. I went through two painful episodes which I dealt with myself with paracetamol and codeine. I waited for the pain to go away as the nerve was eating away.
"The worry I have is if I can't attend the appointment [in Nottingham] I get charged. I have four tumours at the moment and every 10 days I get diarrhoea and sickness so bad I can't go anywhere."
A spokesperson for NHS England said: "We are sorry to hear about these incidences.
"We are working with the local community to improve access in the area. During the pandemic, we lost 12 months’ worth of appointments and are working to improve access in this area.
"We want to recruit more dentists and dental staff in Lincolnshire for NHS services and have undertaken recruitment campaigns in dentistry schools, the NHS Talent Academy and in the dental media to encourage more to the county. We have also run a Golden Hello scheme offering an incentive to become an NHS dentist in the county."
Mr Palmer added: "I found it to be an absolute joke. The 111 services could only offer an emergency appointment. I think that the people of Mablethorpe really deserve an NHS dentist.
"The system is completely broken and getting worse. There's nothing in the Mablethorpe area and it has been broken here for years."
A spokesperson for Healthwatch Lincolnshire said: "Many people are unable to access an NHS dentist in Lincolnshire and this is worse in rurally isolated areas of the county such as Mablethorpe. More needs to be done locally to encourage dentists to work in Lincolnshire and nationally changes need to be made to dental contracting."
READ NEXT:
- Police cordon in place on Nottingham road as man, 27, in hospital with serious injuries
- Mystery as 'fantastic' Nottinghamshire village pub closes
- I visited the friendly, best-reviewed city centre bakery with a shop front you can’t miss
- Murderer Michael O'Brien makes confession: ''100% it was me'
- Criminals target Volkswagen GTIs and GTDs near City Ground during Nottingham Forest match
