The Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board has announced that dental provision will return to Bolsover from early 2024 as an interim service until a new practice is established.
In March 2023, Bupa announced it would close or merge 85 dental practices across the UK including its practice in Bolsover. This came as a shock to residents who were not consulted on the closure before the announcement and to the Member of Parliament, Mark Fletcher MP, who held an emergency meeting with the firm to express his disappointment at the way it was handled.
For residents of Bolsover and the surrounding villages including Palterton, Shuttlewood and Elmton, this was the only practice within a reasonable distance. Its surprise closure led to many people losing access to dental services with little time to make other arrangements.
Following this announcement it was agreed practices in the surrounding areas of Stavely and Clowne would take on additional provision so Bolsover residents would continue receiving care. For some, this means an almost two hour round trip to visit the dentist.
On 18 October, it was announced that a new dental practice in the town of Bolsover will be reopening in two stages. From early 2024 an interim caretaker service will operate from the site of the former Bupa practice while a long-term contract is finalised. This means Bolsover will once again have a permanent dental practice.
This announcement follows several mentions of local dentistry by Mark Fletcher in the House of Commons. In April, Mark voiced concerns about the closure of the Bupa dental practice in Bolsover directly to the Minister for Primary Care and Public Health and in a general debate on reforms to NHS dentistry. Since then, Mark has met with Ministers several times to discuss this further and throw his support behind any plans to ensure dentistry returns to Bolsover as quickly as possible.
If you would like to read more about this announcement, Joined Up Care Derbyshire has released more information on its website. You can find this at
https://joinedupcarederbyshire.co.uk/news/bupa-dental-service-closure-bolsover
Commenting on this announcement, Mark Fletcher said
“This is fantastic news. Once again residents in Bolsover and the surrounding villages will have access to local NHS dentistry. I receive emails and phone calls every day about the problems residents face getting a dentist appointment so this news is incredibly welcome. I will continue doing all I can to further improve access to dentistry across my constituency”.
Mark Fletcher would like to know about your experiences with dental provision across Bolsover. You can contact him via email at [email protected]
