DT News - UK - Residents line up for hours to register with dentist in Wales

Dental Tribune UK

Wed. 7 November 2018

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LLANGOLLEN, UK: Hundreds of residents of the small Welsh town of Llangollen were photographed last week waiting for hours on end to register with a new NHS dentist in their area. The images prompted a response from the British Dental Association (BDA), which has called on the Welsh government and local health boards to ensure that situations like these do not become the new normal.

The extensive queuing was reported on by the Daily Post, a popular newspaper in the north Wales region. A number of people told the newspaper that they had arrived to register for the new dental practice 2 hours before its official opening time of 10 a.m. One woman stated that she had been waiting for 5 hours.

The lengthy queues followed the closure of a local practice in Llangollen this past January, which left many residents facing long journeys to the nearest NHS dentist. This is a common situation in Wales, according to the BDA, which claimed that residents in the western Welsh town of Aberystwyth, for example, faced a 90-mile round trip to see an NHS dentist.

“It’s the 21^st century, and a developed nation with universal healthcare shouldn’t see residents queuing round the block to access basic services,” said Dr Tom Bysouth, Chair of the BDA’s Welsh General Dental Practice Committee.

“For over a decade dentistry in Wales has been shackled by a system that puts tick boxes and targets ahead of patient care. The result is patients are now travelling further or waiting longer for appointments, while practices are unable to attract or keep staff,” he said. “This postcode lottery must end to ensure that all those who want NHS care can access it.”

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