Patients at a Callander dental practice have been told that they will no longer be offered “NHS regulated services” as bosses say the pressures being put on dentists are “not sustainable”.
The Infinity Blu Dental Care and Implant Clinic, in Main Street, wrote to patients informing them of the plans to move to a private service from February next year.
In their letter to patients, the practice said that delivering NHS treatment was “becoming increasingly difficult” under the service’s regulations.
But patients now face having to travel to Crieff or Auchterarder to find another NHS dentist, with one local councillor calling the development “devastating for the whole of Trossachs and Teith”.
In a statement to the Observer this week, a spokesperson for Infinity Blu Dental Care and Implant Clinic – which has practices across Scotland, including in Killin – said: “This has been a very difficult decision for the practice and not one they would have chosen, had circumstances been different.
“The future of NHS dentistry in Scotland has been raised with the Scottish Government since 2020 by our professional bodies the BDA, Scottish Dental Association as well as individual practitioners. Unfortunately, there has been no resolution.
“Due to continuing pressures of the NHS, our dentists at our Callander practice have collectively made the very difficult decision to cease seeing their adult patients after the three months’ notice period.
“It was simply not sustainable for them to continue under the terms and conditions of the NHS. Infinity Blu and Chris Barrowman (principal dentist) have stood by that decision.
“We’re delighted by the support we have received from our patients wishing to register as private patients and those who chose to join our membership plans for continuing care within the Callander practice. We fully understand that these options might not be suitable for some patients, and we will be supporting them by giving them the option to continue to be seen as an NHS patient at another practice within the Infinity Blu group, for their ongoing NHS care.”
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The Callander practice will continue to see children under the age of 18, under the NHS.
NHS treatment for adults at the practice will cease on February 1.
Trossachs and Teith Conservative councillor, Elaine Watterson says she has been contacted by “many distressed and unhappy residents” over the situation. She added: “This will be very prohibitive for many and the only alternative would be to travel to Crieff or Auchterarder to try for another NHS dentist, however such travel may prove impossible for many.
“The withdrawal of the provision of NHS dental services, which is a vital and essential service, is devastating for the whole of Trossachs and Teith.”
Grace Brownlie, from Aberfoyle, moved to the village from Edinburgh last year. She said: “I needed to find a dental practice that offered NHS treatments and were taking on new patients and I called dozens of dental practices throughout the Stirling area and none were taking new patients. I put my name down on the waiting list for a few practices, and was greatly relieved when I received notification at the start of this year that Infinity Blu in Callander were taking on new NHS patients.
“I had to wait another few months for my first appointment, but I was just so relieved to finally be registered at a dentist, and at one of the few local practices in the area. Then last week I received a letter from Infinity Blu informing me that they are now stopping NHS treatments as of next February, which was a blow and a worry, but I thought I would be able to get a check-up and any necessary treatments before they cease the NHS treatments.
“But when I called to book I was told they are not booking in any more NHS appointments.”
Grace added: “I will now be forced to either pay for a dental plan, or pay for treatments when needed, or try to find a practice in the Glasgow area, none of which are ideal options.”
Dentist practices in Scotland are covered by a national Scottish Government General Dental Services contract which sets out the process dental practices must follow to remove patients from their lists.
A number of dental practices in the Stirling Council and wider Forth Valley area are currently accepting new NHS patients. Anyone who is not registered with a dentist who requires urgent or emergency dental treatment can contact the NHS Forth Valley dental helpline or NHS 24 on 111.
One MSP says he has serious concerns over the current dental provision in Callander.
Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Alexander Stewart says that lack of new patient openings at local practices, compounded by the revelation that the practice in Callander is to halt offering NHS treatment, has seen scores of constituents contact his office for support.
Mr Stewart said: “I’m seriously concerned at this current situation. Over the past weeks, I have been written to and telephoned by worried constituents who have visited their local dental surgeries which have advertised that they are accepting new patients, only to be told they are not.
“These are not isolated incidents. Our party has written to the SNP Health Secretary requesting a response to these alarming concerns right across Scotland, a move which I strongly support.”
Meanwhile, Stirling’s SNP MSP Evelyn Tweed said she shares patients’ concerns over the loss of NHS dentistry in Callander.
She added: “I have contacted Infinity Blu Dental Care, NHS Forth Valley and the Cabinet Secretary for Health & Social Care to express these concerns and I await a response.”
In a response to a query from Trossachs and Teith councillor Martin Earl, the practice blamed the rising cost of materials, overheads for the practice and staff costs for the decision and they said that the package of renumeration set out in the Statement of Dental Renumeration (SDR) is “no longer viable for us to be able to sustain our practice here in Callander”.
