News Fears over long dentist delays
Health chiefs have come under fire for allegedly delaying vital extra dental services in Snaith.
The East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust this week set out plans to increase dental services in the area but councillors in Snaith, which has been promised a new NHS dentist, fear they may have to wait up to three years.
They voiced their concerns at a meeting of Snaith and Cowick Town Council last week when Karen Knapton, chairman of East Riding's PCT, faced a barrage of questions from councillors exasperated at the delay.
Cllr John Barrett said: "It could be up to a year or even more before Snaith gets its dentist. That puts a big burden on the doctors here."
Ms Knapton told councillors the PCT planned to increase dental services in the Goole area as a whole but that finding a new NHS dentist for Snaith could take between one and two years.
She added that, although the trust had cleared its deficit and had £400 million to spend on health services this year, it still lagged behind other PCTs such as the one in Hull in terms of funding per head of population.
Ms Knapton admitted that the trust was, to a greater or lesser extent, still hamstrung by financial constraints and said this was why the trust had not been able to invest in dentistry over the past few years.
She pointed to figures which showed that the East Yorkshire trust received just £351 million in funding in 2006/07 (equating to £1,082 per per head of population) compared with its counterpart in Hull, which received £373 million (£1,492 per person) despite its declining population.
"We're permanently in a catch-up position," she said.
Ms Knapton added, however, that the PCT would be investing in dental services in Snaith and looking to expand existing practices, predominantly in the Goole area, "to see if any of them can take any extra capacity'.
She said the PCT intended to advertise at the end of May "to see if we can attract an NHS dentist to work in the Snaith area", with the potential to treat 2,500 patients.
She added, however, that it could take "anything from one to two years" from placing the advert to finding new premises and getting the dentist set up.
Ms Knapton said the trust would also be looking to increase orthodontic services in the area and commission extra services for children.
Richard Bridge, the former deputy mayor of Snaith who resigned from the council last month, attended the meeting specifically to quiz Ms Knapton about dentistry in the town.
He said: "When you say one year, or two years, things can easily slip into three years.
"There has been no NHS dentist around here for the last two to three years, in fact there's been no NHS dental services whatsoever.
"I think it's something that the PCT should be treating as a matter of urgency and the tendering process needs to be followed through quite rigorously so there is a service here in Snaith as quickly as possible."
Mr Bridge called on the PCT to look for premises for the proposed dental practice without delay.
Town clerk Cath Hird asked Ms Knapton what had happened to the mobile dentist that used to come into Snaith from time to time and give people a check-up at Snaith's medical centre.
Ms Hird said it was presumed that the mobile service had come to a sudden halt. Ms Knapton said she would look into it.
Published on 8th May 2008 in News.
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