Josh MacAlister the MP for Whitehaven and Workington is pushing for Urgent Dental Access Centres to stop constituents ‘waiting in agony.’

West Cumbria, like many parts of the country, faces a shortage of NHS dentists, with patients forced to wait until their issue is urgent before being able to access care.

Even then, many are still having to wait for an urgent appointment at a limited number of practices.

Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister says he has part of the solution.

The Whitehaven and Workington MP said: “I’ve spoken to colleagues who have Urgent Dental Access Centres in their constituencies and they make a real difference in cutting waiting times for urgent appointments, so we would no longer have a situation where hundreds of west Cumbrians are sat waiting in agony for treatment.

“I’m in a constructive dialogue with the ICB about this and I hope they’ll make a decision soon.

“This is, however, just a short term measure. Ultimately, we need to change the NHS dental contract and recruit many more dentists to take on NHS patients.

“The government is getting on with that work and I’ll continue to champion West Cumbria to ensure we feel the full benefit.”

The government has funded an additional 1,500 urgent NHS appointments in north and west Cumbria this year at existing dental practices, including at Queen Street in Whitehaven, but challenges remain.

Josh MacAlister is working with the NHS to address that, by pushing for the introduction of a new Urgent Dental Access Centre (UDAC) which, he says, could treat dozens of patients a day and thousands in a year.

Urgent Dental Access Centres have already been rolled out in some areas, including Carlisle, with positive results, but we don’t yet have one in West Cumbria.

The Whitehaven and Workington MP has been lobbying the North East and North Cumbria NHS Integrated Care Board for improvements to NHS dental access in West Cumbria for many months and says this could be part of the solution.

Last week he raised the issue in Parliament with the Health Minister, who praised him as “a strong campaigner for his constituents.”