FILLING THE GAP FOR NHS PATIENTS (From Warrington Guardian)

FILLING THE GAP FOR NHS PATIENTS

A TOWN centre dentist is bucking the national trend after revealing he can take on 3,000 more NHS patients.

Sab Hussain, who has led the Smile clinic on Froghall Lane for 10 years, which includes a team of five other dentists and seven nurses, has just recruited two new members of staff.

Mr Hussain, who qualified at Liverpool Dental School 12 years ago, said: "There is a shortage of NHS dentists in Warrington but it's maybe not as bad as in some other parts of the country.

"The problem is that we don't have enough dentists in the UK. What are needed are more undergraduate training places and the funding to support such an increase."

The two new dentists, Chris Fair and Paul Wolfle, come from practices in Liverpool and Manchester. Mr Hussain said his practice's working environment and state-of-the-art surgeries helped convince Chris and Paul to make the move.

He said Warrington Borough Primary Care Trust had funded the two new recruits. The Smile clinic does about 85 per cent NHS work and 15 per cent private.

Mr Hussain said: "It's not always lucrative to just be private. It is partly down to supply and demand. I could turn around and say we are going private but there is a risk the patients wouldn't stay - then would there be enough work for all the dentists here?"

The Froghall Lane practice spent more than £60,000 modernising its building. Mr Hussain said: "We did have space in the building but had to create the two new surgeries upstairs."

Mike Williams, WBPCT's general dental practice advisor, said: "It will help improve access to NHS dentistry."

Nationally, there is a shortage of NHS dentists, so Mr Hussain was delighted to be able to recruit two new ones. Since joining the practice he has expanded it from a one-man operation, but has no plans to increase its size further.

The NHS needs to recruit 5,200 more dentists to bring services in the UK up to the standard of other countries, researchers at the University of Bath claim.

In Warrington, the average number of patients on each dentist's list is 1,307. This compares to a national average of around 1,500.

Across Warrington, six dental practices are currently accepting new patients, according to the Warrington Borough Primary Care Trust.

Patients not registered with a dentist can get NHS treatment at Warrington Primary Care Trust's Dental Access Centre, at Cockhedge Shopping Park, in the town centre on 243620.

For a list of dentists currently taking NHS patients, contact Warrington NHS Dental Clinic on 644210.