Plans for new dental clinic in Plymouth put on hold as thousands wait for treatment
Plans for a new dental practice to help tackle an oral health crisis in Plymouth have been put on hold by the NHS as the waiting list for treatment continues to grow.
The project to set up a new practice in the city centre for 3,500 patients was put forward to NHS England in February but has not progressed.
Meanwhile the number of people on the waiting list for dental treatment in the city has grown during the pandemic from around 14,400 to 15,800 and is continuing to increase.
One practice, SpaDental, has told 1,200 patients it is removing them from its list after a contract with the NHS was not renewed, councillors heard.
Councillors were told at a meeting on Wednesday 16 December that NHS England had not progressed the city centre practice proposals as a funding decision was waiting for the completion of an oral health needs assessment across the whole of the South West.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service reports regional head of primary care for NHS England, Ian Biggs, said the report was expected in January which would allow the next stage of the commissioning process to start.
He acknowledged the waiting list for the city had grown, driven in recent months as a result of the halt in dental work during the lockdown and a slowdown due to hygiene measures as a result of the pandemic after services resumed.
He said a network of dental clinics had been set up for emergency care, and dentists were being asked to take on more urgent work.
Plymouth councillors have pleaded with NHS leaders to support the city centre practice project and take action to help solve the problems in Plymouth.
The report highlighted children in Plymouth were four times as likely to have teeth removed under general anaesthetic than elsewhere in the region.
The city council's Cabinet member for health Kate Taylor said the situation in Plymouth had worsened since the spring with more people waiting for treatment, and there was an urgent need for action to improve oral health in the city.
She said: "We know that some of our residents are at greater risk of tooth decay, gum disease or mouth cancer, and there is a strong relationship between dental decay and social deprivation."
The Labour councillor added: "I cannot overstate how vital it is that NHS England step up and help us now."
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