Josh MacAlister, MP for Whitehaven and Workington, has praised a new dental service in Whitehaven which is helping people in north and west Cumbria to access urgent dental care when they need it most.
Whitehaven Urgent Dental Access Centre provides appointments to diagnose and treat urgent issues for patients, including severe toothache; dental abscesses; broken or knocked-out teeth; bleeding in the mouth following a dental procedure or injury that does not stop by itself; swelling in the mouth or to the face; fractured, loose or displaced fillings causing pain; and severe bleeding from gums or conditions that affect the soft areas of the mouth.
The centre will offers 30 30-minute urgent care appointments each day, with priority given to those with the greatest clinical needs.
During a visit to the centre last week, Josh MacAlister MP met with staff and patients to see first-hand what the service offers. Josh said:
“The new Urgent Dental Access Centre is already transforming urgent access to NHS dentistry here in West Cumbria. Every day, dozens of people who might otherwise struggle to find an urgent dental care appointment are now being treated by skilled and dedicated professionals.
“This is a really important step forward in addressing the backlog and improving dental health locally, while the government does the longer term work of reforming the NHS dental general and routine access contract to retain and recruit more NHS dentists for areas like ours.”
Josh MacAlister MP 