Residents in need of dental treatment are travelling for miles out of their County Durham community to access NHS services, a councillor has warned.
Stephen Bowron, Reform member for Chilton, said improved access to healthcare is a local priority among residents, but the local NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) “will not consider” funding a dentist in the area despite the high demand.
Alternative sites around the county are not feasible for locals to attend, he added.
Cllr Bowron said: “In Chilton, we have a fully kitted-out dentist’s surgery. I have found a dentist who wants to use it, and it could open this week.
“I’m sorry to say that the ICB will not consider funding an NHS dentist for the people of Chilton and the surrounding area.
"They expect residents to travel to Durham City or the coast in an emergency. For many, this is not possible. Meanwhile, a perfectly good local dentist’s surgery is standing idle and unused.”
People throughout the region have gone years without a dental appointment due to a significant backlog of appointments, huge waiting lists, and not enough practices.
Health bosses say the situation in County Durham is reflective of a national crisis in NHS Dentistry, which has been heavily impacted by several factors, including the recruitment and retention of dentists and Covid.
Dental practices are being encouraged to prioritise patients for treatment based on clinical need and urgency, so appointments for some routine treatments, such as dental check-ups, may still be delayed.
New Urgent Dental Access Centres opened in County Durham last year to improve access to dentistry, following a pilot program in Darlington. The services provide an enhanced and more reliable local solution to the provision of accessible in-hours urgent dental care for patients, the NHS said.
A spokesperson for the NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB said: "We know that it is difficult for people to access NHS dental services at the moment. The situation in our region is mirrored across the country and is caused by a number of issues, including difficulties recruiting and training dentists and many dentists struggling to afford the cost of delivering NHS services.
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"Some of the challenges faced by NHS dentistry require fundamental reforms to the dental contract and the Government has recently announced a number of measures aimed at improving NHS dentistry access, with a focus on urgent care and complex needs that will come into effect on 1 April 2026.
"We have recently invested £9.5 million on a new model of care to ensure people can manage urgent dental issues safely. This includes bringing online a network of 23 Urgent Dental Access Centres (UDACs) that will provide over 100,000 urgent dental appointments every year.
"In County Durham, there are UDACs in Durham City, Barnard Castle and Peterlee.” People can find out more about accessing NHS dentistry, and for urgent problems, can book an appointment online via the ICB website: https://northeastnorthcumbria.nhs.uk/here-to-help-you/nhs-dentistry/get-urgent-dental-care/
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