The lack of dentists willing to take on NHS patients has been exposed in Wokingham.

While some people in the UK pay for dental care at private practices, patients can get their dental care subsidised or paid for on the NHS.

However, there is a lack of dentists willing to take on NHS patients in the Wokingham area, something the Liberal Democrats have highlighted.

The party has called on a government health minister to visit Wokingham to observe the issue.

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Munira Wilson Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham, spoke about the issue in parliament.

Mrs Wilson said: “In Wokingham there are no dental practices taking on new patients. This means people there are suffering in pain or forking out for private care in the middle of a cost of living crisis.

“An investigation of dentist services found that 100 per cent of the 12 dentistry practices in Wokingham are not accepting any new NHS patients.

“Ministers should go to Wokingham and find out for themselves.”

She made her remarks during a Christmas Adjournment debate on Monday, December 20.

READ MORE: No dental practices in Wokingham will take new NHS patients

The NHS has a website which lists dental practices in an area and whether they are taking on NHS patients.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) counted a total of nine dental practices in Wokingham, Winnersh and Finchampstead in a search.

Of those, five are only taking on new NHS patients who have been referred.

The remaining four  have not recently given an update on whether they’re taking new NHS patients or not.

Councillor Clive Jones, leader of Wokingham Borough Council and Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Wokingham has called on Sir John Redwood, the sitting Conservative MP for Wokingham, to raise the issue with the government.

Cllr Jones (Liberal Democrats, Hawkedon) said: “For years the Conservative Health Ministers have neglected our area. Local people are now forced to fork out for private dental care or suffer in pain for weeks at a time because there are no NHS appointments left. 

“This is a scandal. A Minister must come to visit Wokingham to apologise to people waiting too long to see an NHS dentist. “I am grateful to the Liberal Democrat MP for raising this in Parliament and putting more pressure on Ministers to act. 

“Wokingham is not receiving its fair share of local dentist and GP services. The Government always overlooks the area. Local health services are crumbling because of a lack of resources.”

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In reply, Sir John stated that no one in the area has reported any recent problems with finding a dentist.

He added: “If they do so I will of course follow up energetically to help them.”

Additionally, his senior parliamentary assistant Gloria Nicholl said Sir John receives an “average of three complaints a year” about the lack of dentists willing to take on NHS patients in the constituency.

The LDRS has asked the Department of Health and Social Care whether it will send a minister to the constituency by the end of January 2023 but has not received a response.