The latest ‘Dental Practice Update’ has revealed ten of the 16 practices in Swindon are not taking on adult patients. According to the Swindon Advertiser, only one of these clinics is taking on children under 18.
Heidi Alexander, Labour candidate for South Swindon, told the newspaper that dentistry is a topic that “always” comes up when she speaks to residents.
She commented, "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."
One resident 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.”
Another member of the public commented, “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."
The issue is partly a reflection of the national shortage of training new dentists, Heidi explained. She said students from Swindon have informed her they are being told to train abroad to become a dentist.
Robert Buckland, South Swindon MP, explained that this is also an issue that he has been working on for some time. He said, “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 gotten worse in the last couple of years.”