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The dentist has been turned down for NHS funding, please make your views known ! When dental services are in short supply a whole village of 3000 residents is denied access, the dentis is willing to offer NHS sevices Your MP is Andrew Lansley http://www.andrewlansley.co.uk/ Constituency Office 153 St Neots Road Hardwick Cambridge CB3 7QJ Tel: 01954 212 707 Fax: 01954 211 625 lansleya@parliament.uk
Further to my earlier reply of Sept 27 2005. To which I have received no response from PCT Management. Yesterday I visited the nearest NHS Dentist, (in St Neots), for a check up. I enquired about signing up my wife and two children and was told that the earliest I could expect an appointment was late February-March 2006!! I think you will agree that this highlights the need for the new Cambourne surgery to be funded to accept NHS patients. I would be interested to hear your response to this situation and whether there exists any further clarity regarding funding for new dental practices. Kind Regards Mr xxxxxxxx
Dear Mr xxxxxxxx Thank you for your inquiry We are in discussion with the new dental provider who has purchased the former GP practice at Cambourne about her NHS commitment. However, dental funding is in a state of transition at the moment and we are uncertain as to what funding might be available to the practice from April next year. In particular, under the new arrangements, it is not clear how money can be made available for dentists wishing to set up new services other than from existing PCT budgets. It is our hope that the practice will be able to offer NHS services to children, but it is likely that provision for adults will be private only. As you may be aware South Cambridgeshire PCT is facing severe financial difficulties currently and the Board continues to weigh up the many priorities for health care locally against a bleak financial position. We will know by April next year whether we have any specific money for dentistry that is uncommitted and can be reinvested in local services; the needs of the community in Cambourne will be looked at alongside the needs of other communities in South Cambridgeshire should this situation arise. I am sorry that I can not be more reassuring at this stage, but do not want to mislead you or the other residents in Cambourne. We will continue our discussions with the new dentist as the situation unfolds and the funding position becomes clearer. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me directly. Regards, Clare Clare.Morris@Southcambs-pct.nhs.uk
Dear Clare I am grateful for your reply. However, I am disappointed to hear the lack of clarity from the PCT about the availability of funding for the development of NHS dental services. I would have thought that there ought to be policies & agreements in place that will trigger in newly commissioned services as the expansion of population in the area continues. These must surely have been negotiated with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) etc as part of the development agenda for creating 'Sustainable Communities' etc. I must stress again that as Cambourne expands, and the population mix becomes more diverse it is increasingly necessary for those residents who have neither the funds to 'go private' nor the private transport to reach the nearest NHS dental practice have their needs met locally. If there is anything that the population of Cambourne can do to lobby the strategic health authority & help bring pressure to bear in support of the PCT's case please let us know. We are quite good at taking issue about service delivery & facilities as a community here in Cambourne! Kind Regards ******** Cambourne Resident
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