Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Blow for patients as dentist to shut
City Bupa branch one of 85 closing for good
Patients have been left in the lurch after a city dentist announced it is set to close. The Bupa site in Sturry, near Canterbury, will be joining the Folkestone branch in shutting its doors for good in June. The healthcare company announced last month it would be closing 85 of its branches in the UK.
Now, thousands of patients in Folkestone and Canterbury will be without a dentist come June 30 when the two branches shut down.
The healthcare provider’s website reads: “We’re sorry to say that Bupa Dental Care Sturry is planning to close on 30th June 2023.
“We understand you’ll have lots of questions which we hope are answered in our dedicated FAQS.
“We’d love to keep you as a Bupa Dental Care patient and to continue taking care of your smile. To find an alternative nearby practice, please search our website.” Reacting to the news on Facebook, one patient said: “What a joke, another dentist shutting in Sturry and not one dentist in Canterbury taking on NHS patients. “Shameless Bupa at Sturry, leaving two teenagers and two
adults without a dentist, let alone every patient.”
The decision to close the branches comes amid a national shortage of dentists and “systemic” challenges across the industry, and will see 1,200 members of staff affected. Bupa provides private and NHS dental care.
Bosses say they have been unable to recruit enough dentists for NHS care in many practices for months, and in some cases, years.
The dental care provider said it would redeploy affected staff where possible to different areas of the business but a national shortage of dentists has been worsened by the NHS contract model.
An increased demand and complexity of care since the start of the Covid pandemic as well as inflation and higher energy prices have also been contributing factors. Mark Allan, general manager for Bupa Dental Care, said: “As a leading dental provider in the UK, our priority must be to enable patients to receive the care they need.
“For the majority of affected practices, this decision will allow commissioners to procure local providers for the NHS contract, tailoring services and investment to the needs of the local community, thereby providing a better opportunity for patients to continue access to NHS dental services.”