‘Dentistry in north Wales facing extinction,’ warns Senedd Member

Plaid Cymru’s North Wales Member of the Senedd, Llyr Gruffydd, has warned that NHS dentistry in north Wales is on the brink of collapse after news that dental practices in Buckley and Llandudno are terminating their NHS contracts.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has confirmed that both Llandudno Dental Practice and Buckley Dental Practice will end their NHS contracts on 31 March.

This follows announcements that two other practices in Ynys Môn and Wrexham are also ending their contracts this month.

Mr Gruffydd described the situation as “devastating,” highlighting that even before these closures, only 27% of people in the Betsi Cadwaladr health board area had access to NHS dental treatment.

“For patients at these practices, they will be faced with a stark choice – cough up hundreds of pounds a year for the same service as you get now or risk going without any dental care,” he said. “It’s a rotten choice and will leave the poorest with no choice at all. That’s not what the NHS is about.”

Mr Gruffydd raised the issue in the Senedd, criticising the Welsh Government’s new NHS dental contracts, which he claimed are “causing huge delays in treatment” and pushing practices to abandon NHS services.

“I’ve already made representations to Betsi Cadwaladr and I think it’s damning that the health board doesn’t even know how many patients have access to a private dentist and, therefore, how many people across the region have no dental cover at all,” he said. “The long-term impact of this will be greater problems for patients and greater costs for the NHS as they deal with more serious health problems arising from untreated dental issues.”

Mr Gruffydd accused successive governments of effectively privatising dental services over the past decade. He highlighted that families often have to pay up to £600 a year for basic access to a dentist, with treatment costs running into the thousands.

He called on the Welsh Labour Government to take immediate action to prevent the collapse of NHS dentistry in the region. “We need a re-set, a re-think,” he said.

“Training more dentists in the North will help in the longer term and that’s something Plaid Cymru has been campaigning for over a number of years now. But we also need immediate action to ensure the next generation isn’t growing up without a dental service.”

Mr Gruffydd also urged the government to ensure that health boards allow dentists to operate NHS contracts for under-18s. He criticised Betsi Cadwaladr for rejecting such a proposal, despite interest from at least one dental practice.

“At the very least, this government needs to ensure health boards support options like this as a halfway house while we continue to campaign for a proper NHS dental service for all,” he said.

The Welsh Government has yet to respond to the concerns raised by Mr Gruffydd, but the issue of NHS dentistry in north Wales continues to escalate as patients face growing uncertainty about accessing affordable dental care.

A petition has been launched calling on the Welsh Government to save NHS contracts for under 18s in Buckley – Save our dental practic – Plaid Wrecsam ENG