A FORMER doctor’s surgery has been suggested as a base for a dental service in a town where residents struggle to access NHS treatment.
At present patients in Magor can have to travel to either Chepstow, which is 10 miles away, or make 48 mile round trip to Monmouth to see an NHS dentist.
John Crook, Labour councillor for Magor East with Undy, suggested a former doctor’s surgery, known as Cae Mawr, in nearby Caldicot as a base for a possible dental service.
He told representatives from Gwent’s Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, who attended a Monmouthshire County Council public service’s scrutiny committee, current arrangements “are not working”.
He said: “You have older people having to use public transport. It really needs looking at what needs to be done going forward.”
Lloyd Hambridge, the NHS’ body’s director for primary care, said its dental services are limited by funding but its community dental care team does visit local communities to offer some treatments but said “they are not able to bring a dentist’s chair”.
The director said he would raise the suggested location with the community team who he said look for “hubs in the community” they can work from and said: “We will look into that and see what may be the art of the possible.”
On travel to appointments Mr Hambridge said the health board does provide funding for community transport services.
Independent councillor for Usk Meirion Howells asked if the board would consider offering dental treatment at a health and wellbeing centre planned for Osbaston in Monmouth.
Mr Hambridge said at present there are no plans for dental services at the centre which is in the early stages of development.
It is however investing in dental services at the Tredegar Health and Wellbeing centre and the 19 Hills Newport East Health and Wellbeing development. Mr Hambridge said the board bases services where there is the greatest level of need.
The committee was told 74 practices hold NHS contracts with the Aneurin Bevan board with nine of those being in Monmouthshire.
There had been 11 practices holding contracts, including one with two contracts, but all patients have been offered places with the existing nine practices after two resigned their contracts at the end of August.
In 2023/24 more than 340 patients received NHS dental treatment in Gwent with 94,000 being children, which Mr Hambridge said was a 15 per cent increase on the previous year.
He said it has already seen 272,000 patients, including 77,000 children, in the current financial year which he said meant it is “on trend” to pass last year’s figures.
A new dental access portal, intended as the first Wales-wide system for patients to register for an NHS dentist, has also launched in Gwent, having been delayed since November. It can be found under ‘Dentist’ on the Aneurin Bevan website.
Mr Hambridge said the online register, as well as being intended to make it easier for patients to find an NHS dentist, will help the health board and Welsh Government identify the demand for dental services.
