2,500 EXTRA DENTAL PLACES FOR ULVERSTON

Last updated at 14:34, Monday, 05 October 2009

AN extra 2,500 places have been created for patients at an NHS dentist surgery

Fountain Street Dental Surgery in Ulverston will officially open its new premises on Wednesday.

 

The surgery has relocated just down the road from 11 Fountain Street to new larger premises at 7 Fountain Street.

The surgery was commissioned to provide the new dental places by NHS Cumbria in April.

The places will be added to the 8,500 patients that the surgery already treats.

The practice has employed two new dentists, three new dental nursing staff and an additional receptionist as part of its expansion.

 

Christian Turner is a dentist and a partner at Fountain Street Dental Surgery.

He said: "It is great news that our new premises are now open and we can now offer more NHS dental treatment to people in Ulverston.

"Although we have not moved very far, a lot of hard work has gone into our new premises and I would like to thank all our staff and patients for their support."

The surgery has been offering dental treatment to people in the Ulverston area for 10 years and will start to take on new patients during the next 12 months.

The new places are in addition to the 27,500 new places announced for Cumbria in August this year.

Millom and Barrow were each allocated 5,000 of those as part of a £1.5m investment from NHS Cumbria.

It is part of ongoing efforts to tackle a long-term shortage of NHS dentists.

At the height of the crisis in 2005/06 – when many dentists were leaving the NHS in protest at new government contracts – tens of thousands of people in Cumbria were on the waiting list.

Health bosses have since beenworking to fill these gaps, with the aim of ensuring everyone who wants an NHS dentist will be able to access one. The Mayor of Ulverston, Councillor Norman Bishop-Rowe, will unveil the new-look surgery.

Patients are reminded that, although the practice has now moved, the phone number remains the same: 01229 585733.

www.DentalJobs4u.co.uk - The UK's Dental Jobsite

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