A new dental practice in Nottinghamshire has been refused the opportunity to provide NHS treatment after being told there is “no need” for it in the area, according to BBC News.
Toothbank is a new practice that has moved into a previously vacant council-owned property in The Square, Beeston. Alongside private dental care and facial aesthetics treatments, Toothbank aimed to provide NHS care to locals at a time when access is notoriously limited across the country.
However, practice owner and director Traceyanne Smith was told in March that it would not be given an NHS dental contract, and further attempts to appeal to officials on the local integrated care board (ICB) have fallen on deaf ears.
A spokesperson for the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB told BBC News that dental services were commissioned based on data from the latest Oral Health Needs Assessment.
Completed in 2024, the Oral Health Needs Assessment for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire found that access to primary care dental services has decreased for both adults and children since pre-pandemic levels. The number of patients seen in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire in 2022/23 was approximately 88% of pre-pandemic levels.
In the district of Broxtowe, where Beeston is located, just 25.71% of adults accessed NHS dental care between July and December 2022, compared to 33.83% over the same period in 2019.
As practice director, Ms Smith said that the rejection of a General Dental Services contract meant that they could not bid for emergency cover, and further applications had “not even been acknowledged.”
“It’s been massively frustrating,” she said to BBC News. “We are really wanting to serve the need in Beeston where there is a massive cry for NHS dentistry. We have realised this in the past few weeks, with people just popping in to see if we can offer them appointments via the NHS.”
A Facebook post in the group ‘Beeston Updated’ in April gained traction with discussions about the potential for increased NHS care, with the news of the failed General Dental Services proposal not yet public knowledge at the time of publishing. Some called it “great news, just what we needed” as others asked how to register – news that NHS at current will not be able to be fulfilled will no doubt lead to disappointment for some.
Main image credit: Unsplash
