Residents claim Horncastle facing a dental crisis

NHS England says it is monitoring the provision of dental services in Horncastle amid concerns from residents.

Several people contacted the News to claim it is increasingly difficult to get an appointment.

One resident, who asked not be named, sent in a letter claiming that two months ago, one local practice had three dentists.

However, he said one dentist had moved away, the second had opted to work part-time and the third was leaving for another post.

The resident said that, as a result, his daughter - who has learning difficulties including Dyspraxia - was unable to get an appointment.

He was supported by several people who say the situation in the town is worrying.

Anne Williams said: “It is really difficult getting an appointment and there seems to be a shortage of dentists.

“I’ve been told that dentists don’t want to move to this area because they know they will have to look after too many patients.”

Stephen Johnson said his elderly parents were struggling to get treatment.

He said: “My dad is in his 80s and recently had problems. He couldn’t get an appointment and, in the end, we took him off to hospital. How is that helping the NHS?”

Ian Walmsley said he and his family had recently moved into the area and were struggling to register with a dentist.

He said: “It looks like the nearest NHS dentist could be in Lincoln which isn’t much good when you’ve got two young children.

“When you look at doctors as well, there’s no wonder people are reluctant to move to this area.”

The News revealed earlier this year that there is a critical shortage of doctors, with one senior medical professional warning lives are being put at risk in some areas of the county.

At the time, NHS England said they were doing everything they could to attract new doctors .

Regarding dental treatment, an NHS spokesman said: “We regularly monitor local services to ensure that patients have access to NHS dental treatment. Any patient who is experiencing problems in seeing an NHS dentist is asked to let us know via our Customer Contact Centre at [email protected] or call 0300 311 22 33 and we will look into their concerns.”