Further blow for dentist services in Berwick as town centre practice the dental arches will close at the end of the month

The Burgess and Hyder Dental Group (the dental arches) in Bridge Street will permanently shut its doors on January 31, which means that even more patients will now struggle to access NHS dental services.

The practice declined to comment when asked about the reasons for the closure.

This follows the closure of {my}dentist in Castlegate last September – with “difficulties experienced in recruiting dentists to the area” given as the reason for the closure, a factor that has been raised in a number of rural and semi-rural areas across the country.

As a result of the latest news, NHS England has produced an ‘Access to NHS dental services (Berwick)’ briefing to patients, which has been seen by the Gazette.

It says that plans to secure a new long-term provider are being urgently progressed, but the procedures that need to be followed mean it will not be in place until April 2024.

Coun Catherine Seymour, county councillor for Berwick North, said: “I am very concerned about the loss of our dental practices and after contact with the NHS, we have been given assurance that they are urgently progressing plans for short-term access for patients who require urgent dental care and to secure a long-term provider to be in place by April 2024.

“Until then, it is going to be a struggle as we will need to travel further afield or seek private vs NHS for check-ups and treatment.

“However, additional funding is being made available to increase access to clinical triage via NHS 111 and out-of-hours dental treatment service is welcomed.”

NHS England says in the briefing that north Northumberland has been ‘identified as a priority area for a recently launched initiative aimed at supporting practices to attract dentists to work in the area by offering a financial incentive payment’.

The briefing also says: ‘We appreciate that the loss of the Burgess and Hyder Dental Group practice in Bridge Street will be of concern to you and acknowledge the impact this will have on access to NHS dental care, which we appreciate is already challenging following the closure of the Castlegate practice and the workforce recruitment and retention challenges that dental practices in the surrounding area are experiencing.’