A dental services company has confirmed the closure of two branches in Richmondshire.
mydentist is to shut its practices in Richmond Market Place and at the White Shops in Catterick Garrison.
The company said in a statement issued to Richmondshire Today that it would cease providing NHS dental services at the practices which it was proposing to close.
A spokesperson said: “This decision has not been taken lightly.
“We’ve tried everything to maintain this service, but difficulties in recruiting dentists and ongoing running costs have prevented us from providing NHS dental services sustainably.”
Patients registered at the practices with open courses of treatment will have their dental care completed before 31st March in Catterick and 30th April in Richmond. With emergency cases being referred to neighbouring practices.
Alternative practices accepting NHS patients in the area can be found on the NHS Choices website www.nhs.uk or by calling the NHS helpline on 111.
Catterick county councillor Helen Grant has today written to Richmond MP Rishi Sunak expressing concern about the closures.
She said: “The My Dentist practice was the only NHS facility in the area and is now to close.
“I know that for sometime it has been impossible to obtain an appointment as a new NHS patient; some children have been unable to see a dentist despite being almost school age.
“Residents are having to travel as far as Stockton indeed one lady on Facebook said she goes to Spain.”
Cllr Grant added: “The massive increases in house building has not been mirrored by increased facilities such as doctors and dentists.
“The increase in military numbers and thereby dependants will further exacerbate the problem during the next few years.”
Mr Sunak later said he had written to NHS dentistry chiefs urging them to plug a gap in NHS provision in Catterick Garrison and Richmond.
Mr Sunak said he had asked NHS England to act swiftly to make more NHS places available.
“I made representations to NHS England about this issue at end of last year and was told a review of NHS dentistry was taking place across Yorkshire which would aim to improve the service in areas like Catterick Garrison which is a growing community.
“In my letter sent this week I have urged them to allocate the NHS money spent through My Dentist to other dentists in the Richmond and Catterick area. This cannot wait for a county-wide review to run its course.”
Mr Sunak said he understood there were dentists in the area with the physical capacity to treat more NHS patients once a suitable funding arrangement was in place.
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Raj at Catterick is a superb dentist. He looked after me in Richmond and I followed him to Catterick as he was such a good and gentlemanly dentist. I hope he lets ex patients know where he is going. Only recently Richmondshire today reported no practice taking NHS patients in the District. Dentistry sets the scene for the rest of NHS privitisation.
This situation is not a new thing,’My Dentist’ has not offered NHS treatment for almost a year and when I have phoned them I was fobbed off and never given a straight answer. I contacted Rishi Sunak how took up my concerns about an NHS dentist in my area, but even he was fobbed off by NHS England a part of their response was ‘Unfortunately Northallerton,Leyburn and Richmond are not areas that have been immediately identified as requiring additional activity.’
I registered with a dentist in Ripon, which is my nearest NHS dentist,in November but couldn’t get my first check up until June.
Not only is the medical side of the NHS in free fall but so is the dental side and it appears that the Director of Commissioning Operations (Yorkshire and the Humber) NHS England-North Moira Dumma doesn’t seem to see a problem
The Conservatives continue to close another NHS facility in the area, with little thought for the dentists’ patients. Lambert and Friarage hospitals are already under threat. I expect our MP for Richmondshire to earn his salary by dealing with this latest catastrophe. I suspect there is little he can do because North Yorkshire is a long way from Westminster, from where most of the occupants are oblivious to our problems and frankly not interested.
Don’t expect much help from Tory rishi.He will just repeat what his Tory leader says
Alpha Dentists have a surgery at the White Shops, don’t they?
Sally , that too is closing ! They have only had 1 dentist for the past year or so . Appalling situation
I completely agree with John Loader about Raj’s qualities, and my wife and I followed him from Richmond to Catterick too because of his dentistry and his ‘bedside manner’. I hope he will let his ex-patients know where he will be working, and that it will be sufficiently local to make a move to his new practice feasible.
I really hope Raj let’s us know where he is going cos i have been going to him since he started in the area and, he is the best Dentisti have ever been to.
RAJ, has been my dentist since he started in the Richmond area and he is the best dentist i have had he is kind, caring, and really puts you at ease,and let’s not forget the the dental nurses and staff whom are also excellent.!!!!.
I am so sorry to hear that Raj will be leaving I hope he will still be somewhere local he is the most professional kind caring gentleman and if he has to move away I wish him good luck and happiness whenever he goes it’s Cattericks loss I have to say