'Borderline impossible' to see an NHS dentist in Swindon

As part of a 'Dental Practice Update', ten out of 16 dentists in Swindon provided an up-to-date account of the services they offer. 

All of the ten dental practices that responded confirmed they have shut their doors to new adult patients and only one said it was taking on patients under the age of 18.

No information was provided for the other six dentists. 

Labour candidate for South Swindon at the next general election, Heidi Alexander, has been ringing alarm bells about this situation, revealing that it is a topic that "always" comes up when she talks to residents on the doorstep.

Councillor's Sean Wilson and Repi Begum with MP candidate Heidi Alexander outside Thomas Huws and Associates - a West Swindon dentist that closed last year (Image: Heidi Alexander)She said: "It is borderline impossible for people at the moment. The situation is clearly critical.

"When I did a survey last year, around two or three hundred people in Swindon responded.

"One family told me they had to register their toddler with a dentist in Birmingham because that was the closest one they could find.

"Others have told me they have moved here but had to keep their dentist from where they were."

Heidi explained that she feels the problem is partly caused by a national shortage of new dentists being trained, explaining that she has spoken to students from Swindon who were told they had to train abroad if they wanted to be a dentist. 

Another issue is the way that current NHS dentistry contracts are set up discourages them from taking on too many patients and prevents them from accepting emergency cases. 

One member of the public who wished not to be named said: "I have emailed a lot of dentists after moving from Cheltenham, and none have been offering NHS care in Swindon. 

"This has left me feeling frustrated, annoyed and stressed."

“Not a new problem, but it has got worse in the last couple of years.”

Another said: "My last dentist was in Bristol, but since I moved to Swindon three years ago, I haven't been able to find one that will take me on as an NHS patient."

South Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland, explained that this is also an issue that he has been working on for some time.

“I've brought it up in Parliament and I am pushing the local integrated health system to open up NHS opportunities and to attract and recruit dentists into the system. But this isn't easy at the moment.

"It's not a new problem, but it has got worse in the last couple of years," he added.