NHS dentistry in Yeovil suffered a further blow when yet another practice decided to deregister patients.
Broadway House Dental Surgery, Union Street, has sent a letter to an undisclosed number of patients, telling them that their registrations as NHS patients will terminate on September 7th this year.
One of the affected patients is Johnny Boucher of Sandringham Road, Yeovil, who received a letter dated June 7th, saying: " I write to advise you that your registration at the above surgery as an NHS patient will terminate on 7th September 2002.
"Until that date only NHS emergency treatment will be available. All other treatment will be offered under a private contract. If you agree to be seen under this new private arrangement you will be informed of the fees involved for any treatment you may require." The letter was signed by dental surgeon Mr F J Tingay.
Mr Boucher is not happy and said: "They take your money for five years and then go private. It is disgusting. What am I supposed to do? You ask Mr Laws (the MP) for me what I am supposed to do.
He added that the he would have to go as far as Taunton or Wells to find a dentist accepting new NHS patients.
The practice manager at Broadway House Dental Surgery would only say that the practice would not go 100 per cent private. When asked how many patients would be affected by the decision, she said the practice was very busy and she had no time to talk.
The shortage of NHS dentists in and around Yeovil has been well documented. Yeovil dentist Don Gibson, for example, told this paper in August 2000 that the situation would probably get worse before it gets better.
In our interview then, he commented: "I'm afraid the public see dentists as money grabbers, but it is impossible to carry out a proper job on the money offered for NHS treatment.
"The rates offered mean that you would have to see a very high number of patients each day, which would lead to rushed and less thorough treatment."
He claimed that NHS dentists were paid £11.80 for taking a tooth out in 1988, which were down to £11 at the time of the interview because of a contractual change in 1991.
MP David Laws said the situation in Yeovil is appalling and he was disappointed to hear of another practice deregistering NHS patients. He said that the only options at the moment are for unregistered patients to seek treatment at the emergency Dental Access Centre in Yeovil or find a dentist elsewhere who is willing to accept new NHS patients.
About three months ago, Mr Laws handed over a petition to the government, signed by more than 2,000 people, calling for urgent action to improve NHS dentistry in South Somerset
The Department of Health has since promised to consider Yeovil for a pilot scheme encouraging dentists to stay in the NHS and improve dental services. Unfortunately the minister in charge has been replaced and Mr Laws has written to seek an urgent meeting with the new appointee.