Thousands assigned to NHS dentists in under a year

A MULTI-MILLION pound investment in North Yorkshire’s dental services has seen more than 7,000 patients assigned to a NHS dentist in less than 12 months.

A lack of NHS dental provision across the region has been a major concern, although senior health officials have maintained that efforts to boost the services in North Yorkshire are now paying dividends.

Figures released yesterday by the primary care trust (PCT), NHS North Yorkshire and York, which is responsible for dental provision in the county, revealed that a total of 113,702 people have been allocated to a NHS dentist since a database was launched in 2005.

More than 7,000 patients have been assigned to a NHS dentist during the current financial year, with 1,884 people allocated to a local dental practice in January alone.

The PCT’s director responsible for commissioning dental services, David Cockayne, said: “We have invested millions of pounds in our NHS dental services over the last few years which has meant excellent improvements for patients.

“Local people have recognised this as NHS dentistry in North Yorkshire was rated as a strength in a recent independent patient survey.

“Our investments have opened new practices and increased NHS capacity in places such as York, Scarborough, Hambleton and Richmondshire in the last two years, offering thousands of new places for patients.

“We also hope to open a new practice in Whitby in the next few weeks – offering around 5,000 new places.”

Nearly 6m has been spent on NHS dental services in North Yorkshire since 2008, and a further 2.3m is due to be invested during the new financial year.

The Yorkshire Post launched its Stop the Rot campaign five years ago to highlight the inadequacies of dental services throughout the region.

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