Councillor fears 'worrying' consequences over lack of access to dentists in Lichfield

Lichfield District councillor Diane Evans raised the issue at a recent full council meeting that residents are struggling to get an NHS dentist appointment.

This comes as at the end of last year Bore Street Dental Practice stopped taking NHS patients. In coming to the decision the practice blames the “chronic” lack of investment in NHS dentistry.

Although the issue is not the responsibility of the district council, Councillor Evans told councillors: “I do believe that we owe the community that we request that it takes high priority at the County Council.

"We are constantly seeing anybody that follows social media that people are having extreme difficulties.

“It is an important issue in this district and indeed all over the country actually is the difficulty in obtaining an NHS dental appointment. It is particularly worrying that children are not receiving the dental check-up and long-term this could have severe consequences.”

Lichfield District Council is set to take representation on the Staffordshire County Council Health and Wellbeing Board, the position rotates being councils and now is the turn for Lichfield.

This means that the district will have a greater role on what issues take priority for the board and has a greater lobbying potential.

Overview and scrutiny committee chairman, Councillor Steven Norman replied: “The issue as I understand it is similar to the rest of the midlands.

"To quote one paragraph from the report ‘it was reported that the main issues preventing recovery in terms of access to dental care, this was after Covid, was a national shortage of dentists and contract hand backs by providers as a result of their dissatisfaction with the dental contract’.

“It is an important issue and we have a role to play as a lobbying body, as a health scrutiny committee.”