The last dentist offering NHS care in Holbeach is to stop ‘the majority’ of those services.
The Holbeach Dental Surgery on Albert Street has said it will continue to see children on the NHS but not adults.
It means the nearest NHS services for adults from the town are in Spalding, or Wyberton near Boston, or Wisbech.
No-one from senior management was available to speak about the change when The Voice contacted the practice on Tuesday (July 8).
A receptionist said they’d been told to tell the public that: “The NHS contract will go but we can still see children.
“The majority of NHS services will go.”
They also confirmed that The Holbeach Dental Surgery was under new management.
On the NHS’s website it still states that long time owners Mr D DuPlessis and Ms L DuPlessis are the owners but that Holbeach is ‘not accepting new NHS patients’.
The Voice understands patients with the surgery will be sent more details on the new owners and services on offer via letters in the coming weeks.
As previously reported, South Holland is one of the places labelled as a dental desert due to the lack of services available.
Numerous healthcare bodies have said it’s partly due to issues recruiting dentists to the area.
Efforts have been made to address that, including financial incentives offered and training being provided in Lincolnshire.
South Holland and the Deepings MP Sir John Hayes has spoken about the ‘dental deserts’ on numerous occasions.
“We’ve had some new NHS dentists open in Spalding, which is great, but it’s been a problem for the last government and this one too.
“We did get a funding commitment from the last government for supporting dentists in rural and I will chase it up to see if it’s still something that this government will honour and which might change minds.”
Coun Thomas Sneath said: “I share the community’s deep concern about the loss of NHS dental provision in Holbeach.
“This change will undoubtedly have a significant impact on residents, particularly older adults, families on lower incomes, and those without easy access to transport.
“While it is positive that children will still be seen under the NHS, the lack of adult provision leaves a serious gap in essential healthcare.
“We are already seeing mounting pressure on practices in Spalding, making the situation become increasingly unsustainable.
“Access to affordable dental care should not be a postcode lottery, and we will continue to push for an urgent solutions.”