Only 1 in 3 children in Blackpool see a dentist as figures show 12 surgeries not accepting new NHS patients

Families in Blackpool are struggling to get a dentist - with 12 surgeries in the town saying they are not taking on new patients. The rotten picture for the state of dental care in Blackpool does not look any better when it comes to youngsters - with only one in three children seeing a dentist last year, according to the NHS.

Now, a Blackpool dentist has spoken out about the crisis in the town. Research based on NHS data has found of the 12 dental surgeries which have provided a recent update in Blackpool, all 12 are not currently accepting any new adult patients.

Nick Cheatle, senior partner at King Street Dental Surgery, described the situation in Blackpool as “shocking”. He said: “I never thought that a situation like this would arise in Blackpool. A few years ago I thought it would be absolutely impossible. It’s absolutely shocking.”

Unlike doctors and nurses, dentists are not employed by the NHS but receive payments from the NHS to cover the cost of treating NHS patients. However, they say the money received is insufficient to cover the treatment cost. Mr Cheatle said: “The most rewarding aspect of dentistry for me is that somebody can come in with toothache and 20 minutes later I can fix it. In that moment of time I’ve improved the quality of somebody’s life. But we can’t do that service. We can’t afford it.”

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He added this was why dentists were concentrating on private treatment which left many people unable to afford dental care. He said: “It’s absolutely heartbreaking. They’re absolutely deserving – like single parents looking after disabled kids – and I think I could fix this but the cost of the treatment exceeds what I would get paid.”

Mr Cheatle highlighted the problems to Chris Webb, Labour’s candidate in Blackpool South, who raised the issue recently in Parliament. Figures produced by Labour show 38.3 per cent of children in Blackpool were seen by a dentist in 2023 – down from 56.8 per cent in 2016.

Mr Webb said: “I spoke to Nick because I wanted to hear his side of what’s going on here in Blackpool and what needs to be fixed. Dentists are struggling on the front line and need a government that’s got their back. I have heard from so many constituents who are suffering with dental issues. Many of them are turning to A&E because they can’t get a dentist, which is completely unsustainable and inappropriate. Some have even turned to ‘DIY dentistry’, which is extremely concerning.”

Labour has pledged to provide an extra 700,000 urgent dentist appointments nationwide and incentives for new dentists to work in areas with the greatest need, such as Blackpool. The annual £111m cost would be funded by abolishing the non-dom tax status. The Conservatives say they are taking action to improve access to NHS dentistry with a Dental Recovery Plan creating 2.5 million additional NHS appointments this year. The party says 500 additional practices have opened to NHS patients in the few months of the scheme launching.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “Labour’s dentistry promise is part of their £38.5 billion blackhole which will lead to £2,094 in higher taxes for families. If they had a plan for dentistry they would be doing it in Wales – but the truth is 93 per cent of NHS dental practices in Labour-run Wales are not even accepting patients. Only the Conservatives have a clear plan to support dentists and cut waiting lists including delivering 2.5 million additional NHS dentistry appointments, taking bold action to ensure we have the dentists for the future and that patients receive the best care.”

The other candidates standing in Blackpool South are: Stephen Black (Independent); Mark Butcher (Reform UK); Andrew Cregan (Lib Dem); Zak Khan (Conservative); Kim Knight (Alliance for Democracy and Freedom) and Ben Thomas (Green Party).