Dental practice calls for change in NHS dentistry

Friction between NHS Shetland’s director of dentistry and Lerwick Dental practice has restricted the services on offer to patients.

Lerwick Dental Practice made the claim yesterday (Friday) after patients fumed over the blow to the nationalised service in the isles.

As a result, the NHS Shetland Public Dental Service is only able to provide an emergency and non-routine service for the patients.

In a Facebook post, the town practice, located on Market Street, said it would like to “address and clarify the current situation”.

“The press release by NHS Shetland was in fact not accurate, Lerwick Dental Practice is releasing the NHS patients of Dr Mahnaz Khawari as she has left the practice,” it read.

“We are not de-registering all patients at this stage.”

The practices alleges the NHS Shetland director of dentistry had “withheld the list number” of a new dentist slated to replace Dr Khawari.

Challenges to accommodate new NHS patients had become more frequently become “extremely difficult,” since the appointment of the director in 2020.

The Practice added: “Unless a new Director of Dentistry or independent governing body can support and allow us to accommodate the patients of Shetland, we would see no other option but to de-register all NHS patients by June 2025.”

It had also planned to increase the number of dentists available at the practice from five to seven, however this would be impossible to do, with the current director, it said.

In the latest edition of The Shetland Times, the decision taken by the Lerwick Dental Practice had been branded “sickening” and a “disgrace”.

The health board recognised this model “does not deliver” the level of service required for the community.

However, it confirmed there is ongoing recruitment of additional dental officers, with one due to be in place in January.

To read more on this story, pick up next week’s issue of The Shetland Times.