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Wadebridge community works to tackle NHS dental crisis in Cornwall
Overview
A community in Wadebridge, Cornwall, is taking action to address severe shortages in NHS dental services by hosting mobile dental treatment vans and lobbying for permanent dental chairs at The Goods Shed community space. Local residents have reported struggling to afford private care or access NHS dentists for years, prompting the community interest company to seek long-term solutions.
Key points
- The Goods Shed in Wadebridge has been hosting mobile dental treatment vans operated by the social enterprise Smile Together to provide emergency NHS care.
- Trustees and directors of the community centre are campaigning to install permanent dental chairs in the building to help alleviate Cornwall's dental crisis.
- Local residents shared difficulties in accessing affordable dental care, citing high private treatment costs and years of being unable to register with an NHS dentist.
- The Department of Health and Social Care stated it is working to fix NHS dentistry after years of decline, noting an increase in treatments delivered in the South West.