In October 2023, the only NHS dentist in the Freshwater, Totland & Yarmouth (FYT) area, MyDentist Freshwater, announced it planned to close.
Ieuan Jehu, a resident and patient, then petitioned MyDentist and the Integrated Care Board to reconsider. He called upon Wes Streeting, the secretary of state for health and social care, to “pressure the MyDentist group to delay the closure of their Freshwater practice until another company can be found to take over the delivery of NHS dental services in the FYT area.”
The petition received 1160 signatures. However, the decision has not changed.
Healthwatch Isle of Wight explained that the reduction in practices has led to more people being unable to access the dental care they desperately need. It said residents are having to travel to the mainland to access NHS dental care and more people are resorting to “do it yourself” dentistry.
Joanna Smith, manager of Healthwatch Isle of Wight, said “We have been working tirelessly with dental commissioners to highlight people’s concerns, but more needs to be done to reduce the inequality that exists, particularly for people living on the island where access is amongst the poorest in the region.
“We are very grateful to all those people who have contacted us to share their experiences, which has given us the evidence to highlight these serious issues both locally and nationally.
“We would urge commissioners to provide immediate support to Island NHS dental providers and to recognise the profound impact a lack of dentists is having on people’s physical, emotional and financial wellbeing.”
A spokesperson for Mydentist said, “Unfortunately, we’ve been forced to make the difficult decision to close our practice in Freshwater on October 31. This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly.
“Dental practices across the UK continue to face a severe shortage of NHS dentists, hitting areas such as the Isle of Wight particularly hard. Our team have worked tirelessly to provide care for as many people in the community as possible, but the ongoing recruitment crisis means the practice is sadly no longer sustainable, and the practice requires at least two full-time dentists to deliver the NHS contract. However, we have been operating with one NHS dentist for some time now, trying all avenues to recruit a second NHS clinician to the practice over the last 24 months.
"We are writing to all patients affected by this change and want to reassure them that all planned appointments before October 31 will continue as normal. We would like to express our sincerest thanks to our outstanding practice team for the hard work and dedication they’ve shown in supporting the community over the last few years.”