Dentist’s plan to tackle huge demand
A dentist is looking to expand its practice in Walsall to cope with huge demand and cut long waiting lists for services.
Hillary Street Dental Surgery has put forward proposals to Walsall Council planners to convert its disused garage into an additional surgery room.
They said this will enable a third dentist to be taken on to alleviate the workload, which sees the current teams tackling around 70 appointments per day.
The property, at the end of a row of terraced houses, has been a dental practice since July 1987 and was a doctor’s surgery before that.
A planning statement said: “Hillary Street Dental Surgery is a NHS contracted surgery. Currently there are up to 70 appointments a day being undertaken at the practice.
“This is shared between the principal and associate dentist. The additional room would allow for a third dentist to work alongside the two current dentists in order to alleviate the present workload.
“As a result of this, appointment waiting times would reduce, while a wider range of services and treatment options can be made available to the local community, thus providing a clear public benefit.
“The NHS as a whole is under huge pressure particularly following the pandemic. NHS dental services are significantly under pressure with the average waiting time for braces over two years.
“Whilst it is noted that treatment can be obtained from private practices, this can cost from £2,500. Given the demographic of the area this is generally considered beyond the means of the average resident.
“In terms of staff numbers, this would only increase by one new full-time dentist. There are currently two dentists, three nurses and a receptionist working full time at the surgery.”
It added: “The existing surgery is an established community facility and provides an invaluable service to the local community in a sustainable location.
“The existing garage is not used for the parking of a vehicle and in any case, it has not been used as such for some time.
“It is considered that the conversion of this underused space to increase the capacity and services of the surgery is an appropriate development which would provide a clear public benefit.
“The proposal would enhance the existing health and dental care facilities for the local area and community.
“It would facilitate the provision of orthodontic treatments to an already well established business.”
Walsall Council planning officers are expected to make a decision on the proposal next month.
