Wolverhampton dentist practice submits plans for additional surgery in its back garden
A dental practice in Wolverhampton has lodged plans to build an additional smaller surgery in its rear garden in hopes of achieving the level of service it was able to offer before the Covid pandemic.
Brij Dhody Dental Practice in Bhylls Lane, Merry Hill, has been serving the local community since 1990.
An additional building will allow the facility to meet the NHS level of activity in line with the number of appointments it was providing prior to the pandemic, the application plan says.
A statement from Paul Burton of Telford-based AP Architecture Limited, representing Dr Dhody, said the standalone single-storey building would be fitted with wheelchair access ramps, handrails and disabled toilets for patients and staff.
An external staff room was added to the property in 2022.
The statement read: "The proposed installation of a separate building is to provide an additional surgery – allowing the practice to achieve its pre-pandemic levels of patient numbers.
"The dentist currently offers an invaluable NHS service and is in close proximity to inhabitants and workers in the local area.
"Unfortunately, due to the loss of an experienced dentist, the practice has been unable to achieve the required number of appointments within the available times and surgeries available.
"Covid has obliged the practice to overhaul its dental procedures for the purposes of patient safety. Hence, dental treatments take longer, as does the between-patient cleaning process.
"This – along with more junior dentists being employed – means it takes longer to undertake procedures, which has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of patients that can be seen during a normal working day."
The statement added that due to a "significant" backlog of NHS patients waiting to receive dental treatment since the Covid pandemic, the practice can't accommodate the same number of patients it was previously seeing.
Mr Burton continued: "The premises is within walking distance of a densely populated area in terms of inhabitants and the local employment sector.
"There is currently no intention to increase patient numbers, other than what is seen as natural growth and the replacement of existing patients who either leave the area, change dentist, or die.
"At present, the workforce consists of newly qualified trainee dentists and newly qualified therapists – as opposed to veteran dentists with more than 20 years of experience.
"As a result, fewer patients are seen compared to pre-covid levels, as the less experienced dentists work at a slower pace. The number of auxiliary staff will not increase based on current staffing levels.
"Most patients are local to the area and either walk to the surgery or use public transport. There are numerous bus routes and stops along Langley Road, Bhylls Lane, Trysull Road and Coalway Road, which all provide excellent access.
"Also, extra off-site parking has been secured at two nearby locations, which will be available to both staff and patients if required."
Planners are due to make a decision on the application in the near future.
