DENTISTS in Farnham are now turning away patients due to a shortfall in NHS funding, leaving the town's two health service practices "chock-a-block," a dental manager said this week. The announcement comes after weeks of concern surrounding a crisis that now threatens to close its grip around NHS dental services across the country. Unease over a contract agreed with dentists last April is now growing as it comes closer to completing its first year, and Surrey could become one of the worst-affected areas. "We're like a cardboard box that's splitting at the seams," Farnham NHS dental practice manager Stephanie Fathers explained. "We're now at full capacity and we simply don't have enough dentists for the number of people we have in the Farnham area. The PCT won't negotiate for any more because they don't have the funds to do so." She went on to say that people are being turned away at the front desk and told that the books are now full - some dentists only have room for new patients once every two months, she claimed. "The only solution I can see would be to give the dentists bigger contracts or get more of them. There's no money in the kitty to provide any more NHS dental care in this area." She added: "The service we supply for patients has deteriorated as a result of having our NHS capacity full as there is now a breakdown of communication between them and reception staff. We're so busy, we all feel like we have five balls in the air. "I would like to make it clear though that the dentists are not giving their patients any less care than they used to give them and the standard of the dental care itself is still high." The message to potential NHS dental patients in Farnham is that it doesn't matter which dentist you choose, the Dental Studio in East Street or the Castle Street Dental Centre, you will have to wait. As an example of the strain that practices are now under, The Herald was told how the Dental Centre's five dentists see 45 patients each every day of the working week. Area manager Helen Baldwin sought to reassure the public that the standard of NHS dental care in Farnham would not suffer as a result of the crisis. "We're committed to providing professional dental care to all our patients at both of our practices in Farnham," she explained. The current crisis surrounds a new dental contract that began last April, designed to expand NHS services and make NHS work more attractive to dentists by offering them the same money for seeing fewer patients. Two weeks ago the BBC reported on a leaked government memo that listed Surrey as one of the problem areas due to an NHS shortfall in fees as a direct result of the reforms. Health chiefs across the country have since reported problems and now the national crisis has arrived in Farnham, threatening dental care to those living in the area. A spokesman for the British Dental Association said: "We know, from what dentists are telling us, that many practitioners are still experiencing serious problems with the new NHS contract. It is clear that an urgent, thorough and transparent review of the impact of the government's reforms is required." Despite growing publicity, Surrey PCT claimed to be unaware of a situation that now sees many dental practices suffering under a constant strain. A spokesman for the PCT said: "As Castle Street practice in Farnham has not contacted us to report a problem, we are not aware of any issues around access to NHS dentistry in the area. Following the introduction of a new dental contract in April 2006, the PCT is continuing to work closely with local dentists to support them and ensure that local people have access to high-quality dental care. "We continually monitor access to NHS dentistry in all parts of Surrey and we are in regular contact with practices to ensure that we are aware of any potential issues before they arise." The spokesman went on to say that the PCT is committed to making sure that everyone who wants access to a dentist on the NHS is able to have it. "This includes monitoring how many NHS patients are being seen so that we can identify where dentists have the capacity to take on more patients. "Surrey PCT's top priority is ensuring that the one million people living in Surrey have access to first-class NHS services, when they need them."
