Great Yarmouth may get 18,000 hours of dental appointments

Recent government data shows that Norfolk and Waveney have one of the lowest numbers of dentists per 10,000 people in the country.

In a bid to tackle this, Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader Carl Smith said talks are currently taking place to bring five dentist chairs to the town's ongoing development, The Place, with the hope of providing 18,000 hours of NHS-only appointments.

Great Yarmouth council leader Carl Smith. (Image: Newsquest)Mr Smith said: "We are very keen to bring dentistry to the town centre at The Place.

"We are in talks with the ICB (integrated care board), Norfolk County Council and the University of Suffolk on trying to make this happen and we are looking forward to discussions over the coming weeks."

Speaking at the full meeting at Norfolk County Council on May 7, Mr Smith said the bid is inspired by the University of Suffolk's recent scheme that has seen ten dental surgery units inside the James Hehir building in Ipswich.

The University of Suffolk Dental Community Interest Company aims to deliver 18,000 hours of NHS Primary Care Dentistry, as well as supporting dental training.

READ MORE: Great Yarmouth NHS patient without dentist for 18 months

An artist's impression of the front facade of The Place in Great Yarmouth. (Image: GYBC)At the council meeting, Mr Smith said: "The University of Suffolk has just opened up in the James Hehir building an NHS primary care dentistry and that is looking at providing 18,000 hours of NHS-only dental appointments in that area."

Mr Smith said a similar scheme for Great Yarmouth "would be fantastic". He added that there is space for five dentistry chairs and space to train more dentists, nurses and hygienists.

This comes after the government's announcement in February that it was aiming to increase dental training places by 40pc by 2032.

In April, the vice-chancellor for the University of East Anglia urged the government to fund a dental school at the university.

Currently, East Anglia is the only region in England that does not have a dental school, an issue that has been blamed for the region being the most underserved in the UK for dental care.

Norfolk and Waveney is one of the most underserved locations for dental treatment in the UK. (Image: PA)