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Nov 2023

Last Updated: 23/11/2023

Health

Chatsworth House dental patients in Harrogate to be offered alternative NHS provision

by Flora Grafton

| 23 Nov, 2023

NHS dental patients at Chatsworth House Dental Clinic, in Harrogate, will be offered treatment at alternative NHS practices next month.

Chatsworth House, on King’s Road, announced in September it would stop providing NHS treatments from December 1.

The move heightened concerns about the lack of access to NHS dentistry in the Harrogate district.

It prompted Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, to seek assurances from the Integrated Care Board for Humber and North Yorkshire that local NHS provision would be expanded.

Mr Jones said today he had been told any patient on Chatsworth House’s roll in the last two years will be sent a letter by the NHS next month explaining where the new provision will be available.

Subject to the terms and conditions of their contract, any former NHS patient who has signed up for private services with Chatsworth House can apply to a new provider.

Mr Jones said:

“This is good news for NHS patients at Chatsworth House. It was important that the cash provided for NHS dental activity at Chatsworth House remained invested in Harrogate NHS dentistry. I am grateful to the ICB for ensuring this is the case."

Mr Jones said more than 50 Chatsworth House patients had contacted him.

The ICB letter to Mr Jones said:

"We have written to eligible dental providers in Harrogate to invite them to submit an expression of interest in taking on more dental activity. This EOI went out week commencing 30 October and providers have been given two weeks in which to respond.

"Once EOIs are received, officers at the ICB will then consider all EOIs in order to allocate the dental activity. As soon as new providers are confirmed, the ICB will ensure that patients from Chatsworth House are written to, explaining where they may be able to find an alternative dentist."

Mr Jones added he had "longer term aspirations for dentistry in our area:, adding:

"I want to see a centre of dental excellence for North Yorkshire based in Harrogate. This will train the next generation of NHS dentists and could help provide more capacity locally. I have also met two dentists locally who are looking to expand their practices and put them in touch with people in the NHS who can help with that. These discussions look very positive.

A review of NHS dentistry in August 2021 also found that there was just one NHS dentist practice per 10,000 people in the Harrogate district.

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Chatsworth House dental patients in Harrogate to be offered alternative NHS provision

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