No NHS dentists in South Lakes area taking on new patients, claims MP Tim Farron

He claimed the situation was so bad, there were virtually no vacancies for adults with any NHS dentist in the area, and that while a limited number were taking on children as patients, there was still a severe shortage of places for under 18s.

“This is nothing short of a local crisis," said Mr Farron. “I am receiving numerous letters a week from constituents who are finding it impossible to access a dentist on the NHS.

"It is a matter for NHS England to address and we must put pressure on them to address the issue.

"If this means salary arrangements are increased to enable more dentists to become available, we need to look at that."

Mr Farron said he raised the issue during a meeting with the new chair of Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group Geoff Jolliffe, and said the situation needed to be urgently resolved.

“Local people have already paid for NHS dentistry through their taxes - it is high time that they should be able to get what they have paid for!," said the MP.

And Cllr James Airey, Conservative group leader on South Lakeland District Council, agreed the situation was a serious one.

"I think Tim Farron certainly has a point," he said. "We have to work together to ensure there is better NHS funding for dentistry.

"An extra £20million of funding has gone into the NHS and we have to make sure dentistry is properly funded.

"One of the worst problems is that there is such a difference between areas in that the service is much better in some areas than others. For instance, the situation was bad in Furness but it is now much better.

"We need to make sure all areas have sufficient funding for NHS dentistry and fight for extra cash for this if it is needed."

Kendal man Tony Lang said he had personal experience of how bad the situation had become.

Mr Lang said he had been a patient of an NHS dentist for several years and had received excellent treatment, but a fortnight ago he was told NHS treatment would no longer be available.

"I had a filling, then afterwards the receptionist told me that was the last NHS treatment I would receive," he said.

Mr Lang said staff at the surgery said the decision had been made reluctantly but the funding situation had left the practice with no option.

He added that the dental practice offered care plans if he went private or the chance to 'pay as you go' but both of these options were not a realistic possibility due to the high cost involved.

Mr Lang's wife was given the same news, and the couple have since embarked on the task of contacting dentistry practices in Kendal in the hope of being accepted.

Several dentists offered to put the couple on their waiting lists, but he was warned they were lengthy.

"They said the best bet was just to keep calling them and hope that a vacancy had come up," explained Mr Lang, who added that he was now left with little option but to wait and hope.

Peter Stevens, who also lives in Kendal, said he had a similar experience which illustrated just how serious the situation was.

"I had some problems six to seven years ago and I wrote to Tim Farron at the time," he said.

"I was eventually accepted by an NHS dentist but recently the dentist said they were now only treating private patients so I had to find another dentist."

Mr Stevens said he went on the NHS site to find one but the nearest practice which took NHS patients was several miles away which he said would have been very inconvenient to travel to.

He then contacted a practice in Kendal which said it would shortly be employing a new dentist, but when he called shortly afterwards he was told the new dentist's register was full.

"I went back and explained the situation and tried to be persuasive, and eventually they allowed me to register," he said.

"I was relieved about that but I saw how bad the situation is and it isn't getting any better so it is a concern for everyone."

A spokesperson for NHS England (Lancashire and South Cumbria) said it was making efforts to address the situation.

“We are seeking to work with existing dental practices that provide NHS dental services in South Lakeland to develop plans to increase access in the area," said the spokesperson.

"NHS England intends to offer each of these practices the opportunity to increase their contracts so that they can see and treat additional patients.

“There are NHS practices accepting new patients across the wider area of Lancashire and South Cumbria. To find an NHS dental practice, patients can search online using the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk. Patients with an urgent dental concern should contact Dental Direct on 01539 716822 or the NHS Dental Helpline 111.”

The NHS Choices website lists 10 practices in Kendal, though one of these deals only in specialist treatment.

Of the other nine, the website carries information on five of these, and all five are indicated as not accepting new adult NHS patients, though one, according to the site, is accepting children up to the age of 18.

The Westmorland Gazette was able to contact three of the others, and each confirmed they were not taking new adult NHS patients, though one said it was accepting under 18s.

Two of the practices apologised and said the reason they were unable to accept adult patients was that they no longer received sufficient NHS funding.