New dental practice prepares to open

Preparations are continuing for the opening of a new dental practice offering NHS appointments in Wellington later this year.

NHS Somerset, the local headquarters for the NHS, is working with DentistryForYou to open Wellington Dental Care.

The new practice (pictured above), located on Lowmoor Industrial Estate, will be offering NHS and private appointments.

Wellington was chosen for the new practice as one of the areas of the county where additional provision is most needed.

Local people are being invited to express an interest in booking an NHS appointment by visiting www.dentistryforyou.co.uk/wellingtondentalcare and leaving their details.

People without access to the internet can call 01823-704001.

The practice will not be accepting in-person registrations at the premises, and patients without a pre-booked appointment will be turned away.

The practice, which will create ten to 12 jobs, is due to open on a phased basis from mid-October, with a formal opening scheduled for early December.

Dr Bernie Marden, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Somerset, said: “We know the Wellington area needs improved NHS dental provision, so we are very pleased to see the new practice preparing to open its doors to local people.

“The opening is part of a package of measures we are introducing to improve access to NHS dentistry.”

DentistryForYou Group Manager Elizabeth Fernandez added: “We are delighted to be opening in Wellington and look forward to welcoming patients to the new practice.

“There has already been a lot of local interest, and we encourage those wishing to register to visit our website.

“Demand is expected to be very high, and, while we will do our best to accommodate everyone, we may need to limit online expressions of interest if numbers exceed capacity.”

The practice and NHS Somerset are contacting people in the Wellington area to let them know about the new facility, with information due to be delivered to local households soon via Royal Mail.

However, the number of NHS appointments is limited and registrations may be paused depending on demand.

NHS Somerset is commissioning 20,000 ‘units of dental activity’ (UDA) per year from the practice.

Under national NHS rules, UDAs are used to pay high street dentists, which are independent private businesses.

UDAs are like tokens and when a practice sees a patient, they use up a number of units, each of which is worth an amount of money.

The number of units used varies depending on the complexity of the treatment provided.