MP wins extra NHS dental places for the South LakesMP wins extra NHS dental places for the South Lakes

Local health bosses have agreed to increase contracts of local NHS Dental practices in the South Lakes so they can see and treat more patients after a campaign by MP Tim Farron.

Earlier this month Tim warned of a crisis in local NHS dentistry, with there being next to no vacancies for adults in the South Lakes.

But in a letter to Tim, the Director of Commissioning Operations for NHS England in Lancashire and South Cumbria said they are now intending to offer the opportunity to extend the contracts for each of the seven dental practices in Kendal that offer NHS Dental services.

Tim said: “With more and more people getting in touch to tell me their frustration and struggles of trying to find a dentist on the NHS, it’s becoming clear that the situation locally is getting worse and worse.

“So, it’s good to finally see NHS England actually accepting that this is a serious problem and actually doing something to try and tackle it. We will hold their feet to the fire to make sure that they deliver on this.

“However, this can only be a short-term solution. For this problem to be properly dealt with, NHS England needs to revise its funding rules to ensure that NHS dentistry is an attractive career path.”