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Orkney dentist shortages ‘at crisis point’ amid Balfour Hospital staff issues

Lack of qualified dentists means local practices unable to take on new NHS or private patients

The Balfour hospital in Kirkwall. Image: NHS Orkney.
The Balfour hospital in Kirkwall. Image: NHS Orkney.

Dentist shortages in Orkney have plummeted to “crisis point” in recent weeks.

A paper appeared before councillors this week detailing the scale of the problem.

Just last month, it emerged that Orkney was a “dental desert”, with practices unable to take on new patients.

And the shock new report states that, in recent weeks, dental clinics at The Balfour Hospital were left “with very little clinical cover due to a combination of annual leave and sickness within the team”.

Balfour Hospital in Orkney.

This problem is due to a lack of registered dentists, creating a reliance on locum dentists to ease waiting times.

‘This could take years to fix’

The report states that there is a “great deal of work to be done to improve access” to
the services.

There’s also an admission that the problems will take “several years” to fix.

The plan is to focus on reinstating an “area dental committee” and improving communication between the public and general dental services.

Efforts will also be made to recruit and retain dental officers.


Have you struggled to get a dentist on Orkney? Let us know in our comments section below


What is being done to fix Orkney dentist crisis?

The report was presented by John Daniels, who is the head of primary care services with Orkney Health and Care (OHAC).

Mr Daniels described the problem – but also outlined a way forward.

He said: “Dentistry is challenged.

“We currently don’t have any practices taking on NHS or even private patients.

“It is very much challenged from a workforce perspective, as are colleagues in general dental services.

“In recent months we’ve been having conversations about what integration of those services would look like – particularly some joint working around recruitment and training of dental nurses and dentists within Orkney.

“So, there are really positive steps forward.”


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