Wednesbury dentist's expansion plans

Express & Star

A Wednesbury dental practice is expanding by buying up a former Chinese takeaway next door to open up more space and allow for more NHS patients.

Transcript

00:00Have you tried to get an NHS dental appointment recently?

00:03It's not easy with dentists generally not taking on new NHS patients as much as people wish.

00:11The cost of providing the NHS services, government underfunding and the lack of qualified dentists

00:17are all cited as reasons for people not able to get an appointment.

00:22Manjit Bandal at Crancore Lane Dental Practice in Wensbury is doing his best to help by getting planning permission

00:29to take over a former Chinese takeaway next to the practice and provide extra surgery space,

00:35disabled toilets, a decontamination room and extra parking amongst other things.

00:42Now I've got to pop in for a check-up, possible fillings that may have come off,

00:47so let's see what I've found inside and we'll speak to Manjit.

00:59Manjit's office in Crancore Dental Practice

01:20Well we're in Manjit's office in Crancore Dental Practice.

01:23As you can see it's fairly cramped and you're the boss aren't you?

01:27But this is going to be expanded with the Chinese takeaway, the former Chinese takeaway next door.

01:34Just tell us a little bit about your expansion plans if you can please.

01:37Yes, so we've purchased the building next door to our current dental practice.

01:43It used to be, like you said, a Chinese takeaway.

01:47We've had planning approved now to join the two buildings together to provide a larger surgery.

01:55The surgery will eventually have eight treatment rooms,

02:01we'll have a disabled toilet, we'll have a larger waiting area for our patients,

02:06we'll have a separate decontamination room as well to clean all the instruments,

02:11we'll have a children's area for them to play and do little activities as well,

02:18we'll have a larger staff facility, staff rooms, offices,

02:21and also a larger car park for our patients and staff to park at the back as well.

02:26And you said earlier you're talking half a million pounds spent, so it's quite a big investment.

02:31Yes, so the total investment will be around the half a million pounds mark.

02:36Initially the plans are to get the first phase, which will be the upstairs,

02:41joined by summer this year and the following year to develop downstairs.

02:47The plan is to provide easier access and better access for our patients

02:54and also to provide state-of-the-art facilities and dental procedures for our patients.

03:03We're going to open up, well we do currently now open up Saturdays and Sundays

03:08and most evenings during the week and that again provides better access

03:14for our NHS and independent patients here.

03:17Now the headlines in the media have been how hard it is to get an NHS appointment

03:23and we spoke on the phone, you've only got limited capability here at the moment for NHS patients.

03:29Will that be expanded?

03:31We hope so, we're always asking for extra funding

03:36and we hope to eventually get more funding to allow more patients in need.

03:42A lot of patients, especially here in the local community, they do say,

03:47look we need more NHS funding and I urge governments, politicians to think about it seriously

03:54and provide us, not only us, other practices around the country with more funding

03:59so that we can get treatments to the patients that need them.

04:06I mean I've had excellent service this morning, I've had a check-up, I think it cost £28 on the NHS?

04:12£26.80.

04:14£26.80, that's it. How much would that cost if you went to private?

04:19It depends where you go, I mean it could cost anywhere up to £100.

04:25Because they're taking the government subsidised?

04:30Yes, exactly, so that's a fixed cost throughout the country, it's £26.80 for your x-rays, your check-ups

04:37and we include the cleaning in that as well for you.

04:40Do you speak to other dentists, is there pressure on the government to increase the funding?

04:46I think their hands are tied as well because they've only got a certain amount of funding for the whole country

04:53but it is a serious crisis, I think there's over 90% of adults that can't find an NHS dentist at the moment

05:00and it's similar numbers for children as well.

05:03The lucky thing is here we are still accepting NHS patients,

05:07sometimes you might have to be put onto a little bit of a waiting list

05:10but as soon as we've got capacity we'll get you straight in.

05:13And finally the expansion plans, they've been approved now it's gone to planning,

05:17when do you expect to see the build done?

05:22So the first phase, like I said, first phase upstairs, so upstairs we'll have two treatment rooms,

05:27a staff room and offices, that should be completed by this summer.

05:32Then the downstairs renovation would be by the following summer.

05:37So a larger waiting area, decontamination room and disabled facilities, disabled toilets by next summer.

05:48Well we certainly wish you all the best with the first class treatment today

05:51and I'll probably see you next Thursday for the fillings.

05:54The exciting part.

05:58Thank you very much for today.

06:00No problem, have a lovely day, see you.

06:03Bye.

06:04Well that's me done for a week at least, I don't think I'm going to get a smile like this

06:08but I do have to come back for some fillings next week.

06:11Excellent service today by Crankhall Lane Dental Practice.

06:15We wish them all the best with the expansion and hopefully expansion

06:20in terms of patients being able to be seen by the NHS.

Category

Transcript

Recommended