Change in dentist

Understanding the challenges facing NHS dental practices

Dear Patients,

As we continue to adapt to changes within our dental care team at Vallance Dental Centre, we want to keep you informed about the reasons behind any recent changes in your dental appointments. We hope to provide insights into the national trends in dental recruitment and the specific impact on our practice.

National Trends in Dental Recruitment: The NHS dentistry sector is undergoing significant challenges with dentist recruitment and retention. Recent statistics indicate a sharp decline in the number of dentists working with the NHS—there are now 1,100 fewer than before the pandemic. This represents the lowest number of NHS dentists since 2012. Additionally, there is a trend towards reduced clinical hours within the NHS, with many dentists shifting their focus towards private practice or reducing their workload due to various factors.

The impact: Unfortunately, the broader recruitment challenges has begun to affect our practice. Since 2020, we have experienced the departure of five valued dentists who have decided to pursue fully private practice, following the broader industry trends affecting NHS dentistry.

At The Vallance Dental Centre, we pride ourselves on historically having a stable and dedicated dental team. Our practice’s location, reputation, and the quality of our facilities means we have always attracted a high number of potential candidates. Despite our best efforts, finding the right candidate has been particularly challenging this year.

Planning for the future: We recognise that changes in your dentist may be a concern, and we want to ensure you understand the reasons behind potential changes in the future. We remain committed to offering evening appointments where possible. However, given the aforementioned trends in recruitment, we ask for your understanding if a dentist working for us does not provide evening NHS appointments.

Please rest assured that our commitment to delivering NHS dental care has not changed. We continue in seeking to recruit and retain dentists who are committed to NHS care and can provide the level of service you have come to expect from us.

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we navigate these changes. Thank you for your continued trust in The Vallance Dental Centre