A DENTIST in the city will no longer treat NHS patients as it goes 'fully private' in a decision branded shocking by one patient as the dentistry crisis deepens.
Gentle Dental Care in London Road in Worcester will stop seeing NHS patients, including children, from next month, sparking outrage from patients who claim they were given limited notice.
The man seeking to become the city's next Labour MP, Tom Collins, described it as a symptom of a 'dentistry crisis' in Worcester with patients now having to travel to Evesham and Malvern as they try to access NHS dental care.
Anyone with an NHS appointment booked on or after February 1 at Gentle Dental has been warned it has been cancelled and that a separate letter has been sent out about children registered at the practice.
The practice will still be available for 'emergency appointments', the letter says.
The letter, sent out this month, by Doctor Abu Sadikot says: "Increasingly, it is a struggle to balance NHS capacity with demand and at the practice I no longer feel that I can provide the level of dental care you have come to expect and deserve, with my current working arrangements."
He writes: "I have taken the decision to move to an independent care system and I have opted out of of providing NHS dentistry for all my patients. This has been a difficult decision, but it will allow me to spend more time with my patients, maintaining and improving their dental care, whilst also reducing waiting times.
"I am aware that for many, the cost of private dental care may be a concern. Therefore, I have found an accessible and affordable alternative I can offer. So that all of my patients benefit from this change, I have introduced new membership options to help you budget for your dental care. If you wish to remain a patient with me, you can choose to join my membership or pay privately per appointment."
The monthly cost of becoming a member will be £13.49 for annual membership and £24.99 for routine membership. For children aged two to 11, the monthly cost will be £7. For children aged 12 to 17 years the monthly cost will be £9.50.
A patient said: "Gentle Dental Care has gone fully private patients only, with just two weeks notice to their clients.
"This is a shocking decision by these dentists and a further nail in the coffin of NHS dentistry in the city. Two weeks notice. A cynical and abrupt decision, hardly in keeping with the word "gentle " in their trading name!"
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The closure to NHS patients comes as new figures reveal that, of 10 dental surgeries who provided a recent update in Worcester, none of them are currently accepting any new adult patients. Just three of the responding surgeries said they were taking children on as new patients only.
Tom Collins, the Labour candidate to become Worcester's next MP, said: "Meanwhile, Robin Walker voted against a motion in the House of Commons to rescue NHS dentistry, despite local patients finding it impossible to see a dentist.
Mr Collins said: “Patients are now having to travel to Malvern, Evesham or Droitwich to see an NHS dentist. For some, this will be a huge barrier.
“Things have gone from bad to worse in Worcester. We have moved from a situation where it was impossible to register with an NHS dentist, to one where people who are already registered are being pushed out.
“We need a government who will take dental health seriously.
Wes Streeting, Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary said: "Patients in Worcester are finding it impossible to see a dentist, with some having to resort to DIY dentistry. Yet when the chance came to do something about it, Robin Walker voted against it.
“The Conservatives think that people should be happy with the poor service we have today. Another five years of the Conservatives will see NHS dentistry gone for good.
“Labour has a plan to rescue NHS dentistry from this crisis and get patients seen on time again. We will pay for it by abolishing the non-dom tax status, because people who live and work in Britain should pay their taxes here too.”
We have approached Gentle Dental and Worcester's MP Robin Walker for comment.
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