Thousands of dental patients forced to use new surgeries

The disruption for the 3,191 individuals has arisen because the Maywood and Flansham Park surgeries formally close today (Tuesday, August 31).

The decision to stop services was made by the West Sussex Primary Care Trust.

Among those affected has been Peter Coles, of the Maywood Patient Group.

He said the trust's claims the service was understood to be temporary were unknown to anyone else.

"The closure of the dental practice at Maywood is both a tragedy for patients who are having to look elsewhere and a dreadful example of self-indulgent administrative practice by the trust.

"When the dental practice was opened four years ago, we were delighted at the provision of dental health alongside the other activities of this modern healthcare centre.

"The dentistry there was brilliant and hence became very popular but at no stage were patients or staff told this was 'temporary provision'," he said.

Pim Gleadle, another dentist patient at Maywood on Hawthorn Road, said she had managed to find a place at a dentist close to her Eastergate home which had decided to treat NHS patients on Mondays.

"I was a patient at Maywood since the dental surgery opened. I would much rather have stayed there because it was a lovely practice. I'm very sad about what has happened," she said.

David Grant, NHS West Sussex's dental contracts lead, said no patients across Bognor had been left without an NHS dentist by the loss of the two practices.

The town would see a net increase of about 5,000 spaces a year even after allowing for the ending of the contract with the provider at the two health centres.

"However, the overall result is that thousands more people in the Bognor are can now access NHS dentistry," he said.

Details about dentists accepting NHS patients are available on 0300 1000 899.