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The lack of dentists willing to take on NHS patients in Wokingham was raised in parliament in a debate held before Christmas.
While some people in the UK pay for dental care at private practices, patients can get their dental care subsidised or paid for on the NHS.
Wokingham’s Liberal Democrats are calling for a government health minister to visit the borough to observe the issue for themselves after Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham, spoke about the issue in parliament.
But Wokingham MP Sir John Redwood said this is not an issue for the borough as it had not been raised by constituents.
In her speech on Monday, December 20, Mrs Wilson said: “In Wokingham there are no dental practices taking on new patients. This means people there are suffering in pain or forking out for private care in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.
“An investigation of dentist services found that 100% of the 12 dentistry practices in Wokingham are not accepting any new NHS patients.
“Ministers should go to Wokingham and find out for themselves.”
The NHS has a website which lists dental practices in an area and whether they are taking on NHS patients.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) counted a total of nine dental practices in Wokingham, Winnersh and Finchampstead in a search.
Of those, five are only taking on new NHS patients who have been referred.
Cllr Clive Jones, leader of Wokingham Borough Council and Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Wokingham, called it a scandal, and pressed Sir John Redwood, the sitting Conservative MP for the seat, to raise the issue with the government.
“For years the Conservative Health Ministers have neglected our area,” he said. “Local people are now forced to fork out for private dental care or suffer in pain for weeks at a time because there are no NHS appointments left.
“This is a scandal. A Minister must come to visit Wokingham to apologise to people waiting too long to see an NHS dentist.
“Wokingham is not receiving its fair share of local dentist and GP services. The Government always overlooks the area. Local health services are crumbling because of a lack of resources.”
Sir John said that no one in the area has reported any recent problems with finding a dentist.
He added: “If they do so I will of course follow up energetically to help them.”
Additionally, Sir John’s office said he receives an “average of three complaints a year” about the lack of dentists willing to take on NHS patients in the constituency.
The LDRS has asked the Department of Health and Social Care whether it will send a minister to the constituency by the end of January 2023 but has not received a response.
