On Air Now

This is the Coast

Midnight - 8:00am

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Listen Live Advertise

Scarborough & Whitby MP Hears Regular Complaints About Dentistry Provision

Tuesday, 29 November 2022 06:00

By Matthew Pells with additional reporting from Stuart Minting, Local Democracy Reporter

The lack of dentists in the Scarborough Borough continues to be a problem according to Scarborough and Whitby MP, Sir Robert Goodwill.

Healthwatch North Yorkshire said recently that a study had revealed only two dental practices across the whole of North Yorkshire were offering NHS treatment to new adult patients, and those surgeries had “significant restrictions on who is allowed to register”.

Mr Goodwill says says local dentistry is one of the things he gets the most correspondence about.

The concerns come just months after the government announced the first reforms to the NHS dental contract in 16 years, so that NHS dentists will be paid more for treating more complex cases, such as people who need three fillings or more.

Under the changes dental therapists will also be able to accept patients for NHS treatments, providing fillings, sealants, preventative care for adults and children, which will free up dentists’ time for urgent and complex cases.

However, Healthwatch North Yorkshire said it remains very concerned over the lack of access to and availability of NHS dentists, which it says “has severely affected the health and wellbeing of people across North Yorkshire, from Scarborough to Selby, to Craven to Harrogate”.

Sir Robert Goodwill says the lack of NHS dentists is one of local people's top concerns.

He says there is some progress being made but more needs to happen.

Healthwatch North Yorkshire has called for greater involvement of the public in NHS dentistry to ensure it meets the needs of the population.

Ashley Green, chief executive of the watchdog, said:

“We feel it is now time to act – and to use the upcoming changes to NHS and social care reforms, specifically the emergence of integrated care systems to fuel this change.

“We hear on a weekly basis the struggles of people and families unable to be seen by an NHS dentist, but also the desire by NHS dentists to see and treat their patients more effectively.”

Share

Did you find this article useful?

This is the Coast is committed to providing a daily local news service for the Yorkshire Coast. We are a small locally owned and operated business which employs professional journalists and reporters. We do not receive any public funding or grants and we are entirely funded by our local commercial operations. We enjoy fabulous support from local businesses who work with us on their advertising and marketing campaigns, but the cost of providing high quality, well researched, fact checked local news coverage is significant.

If you appreciate what This is the Coast does, and would like to help support our journalism, please consider supporting us on a monthly basis today.

A small contribution from all our readers would really help support independent journalism for the Yorkshire Coast.

More from Yorkshire Coast News

Comments

Add a comment

Log in to the club or enter your details below.

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Light rain

    High: 10°C | Low: 9°C

  • Filey

    Light rain

    High: 10°C | Low: 9°C

  • Whitby

    Heavy Rain

    High: 10°C | Low: 9°C

  • Bridlington

    Heavy Rain

    High: 10°C | Low: 9°C

  • Hornsea

    Light rain

    High: 10°C | Low: 9°C

  • Driffield

    Heavy Rain

    High: 10°C | Low: 9°C

News

© Copyright 2025 This is the Coast Limited. This is the Coast is licensed by PRS & PPL to stream music online. Powered by Aiir.