Patients' fury as two NHS dentists in Bognor axed

The NHS is closing two dental surgeries on August 31. They are at the Flansham Park Health Centre in Felpham and the Maywood Health Centre in Bognor.

The news has dismayed those affected. Caroline Champion has been having her teeth treated by the dentists at Flansham Park for more than 20 years.

"I know people who have been going there for at least 30 years. I am gutted the surgery is closing. My husband and our three children '“ aged 20, 16 and 11 '“ also go there," she said.

"This is going to mean a lot of people searching for new NHS dentists, if they can find any. If we can't, it's going to cost us a lot of money as a family to have our teeth treated privately. Who can afford that cost these days?"

Maywood's dental surgery on Hawthorn Road opened only five years ago. Aldwick Felds resident Iain Fraser is faced with the search for another health service dentist after he waited for more than two years to become one of its patients.

He described his treatment there with dentist Nic Parsons and the reception team led by Gwen Miller since he was accepted in 2009 as excellent.

"I think to deny this community these professional people, having so recently established them, would be unforgiveable," he said.

"It is vital to many people this decision to close is reconsidered and the opinions of patients of the entire Maywood centre taken into account.

"The concept of a multi-health service within this one facility will be destroyed by the loss of the dental section. I suggest this would be a drastic step backwards."

The number of patients who have used the dental service at Maywood in the past two years is 1,791 and 1,400 at Flansham Park. There are 830 and 196 patients on the two surgeries' waiting lists.

The current pattern of NHS dentistry around Bognor has existed since 2006 when contracts were agreed to ensure sufficient access to the services in the absence of enough spaces in 'high street' practices.

David Grant, the dental contracts manager for NHS West Sussex, said: "This specific contract was put in place to meet a temporary shortfall in services which has now been met.

"Nevertheless, these are never easy decisions to make but a balance has to be drawn between the understandable concerns and feelings of those directly affected against the wider benefits of providing those services elsewhere.

"Everyone affected should be reassured they will be able to move to an NHS dentist close to where they live.

"A third of all NHS dentists in West Sussex are accepting new patients, including six dental practices in Bognor alone."

The free Sussex NHS dental helpine on 0300 1000 899 has details.

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