Archive - Tuesday, 11 June 2002


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MP calls for action over lack of dentists

RYEDALE MP John Greenway has called on health chiefs to speed up efforts to attract more NHS dental treatment to Malton and Norton.

Mr Greenway has written to the Ryedale, Scarborough and Whitby Primary Care Group after complaints from residents.

"I have written to the primary care group asking them to clarify what they are going to do," he said.

"It is not acceptable for people to have to travel to York or Scarborough to receive their NHS treatment.

"I am aware there have been complaints from people in the town about the lack of NHS dentists and something needs to be done.

"Depending on the response I get from them, I shall be writing to the Health Minister to highlight what is clearly becoming a national problem."

The Evening Press reported last week that thousands of patients in Malton and Norton were facing losing NHS treatment.

Bosses at The Criterion Dental Surgery in Finkle Street, Malton, announced last week they were going private, leaving existing NHS patients to find a new dentist. But because there are no more spaces left with other NHS dentists, patients are being forced to register at surgeries in either Scarborough or York.

Patients who want to register in Malton are faced with the prospect of paying private fees for treatment.

Meanwhile parents have complained they were left in doubt over whether their children would still be entitled to NHS treatment if they were not registered as private patients.

Mr Greenway added: "The trend has been for some time now for established dentists to go private, which is an accepted way of working.

"But over the last four or five years what has been worrying is the trend for newly-qualified dentists to go straight into private practice.

"The problem lies in attracting newly-qualified dentists to the area to work on NHS patients. There just isn't the incentive for them to go and work within the NHS.

"There are fewer of those around and they are not coming to places like Malton."

No one from the Scarborough, Ryedale and Whitby Care Group was available for comment.

Updated: 15:08 Tuesday, June 11, 2002