According to the NHS ‘Find a dentist’ service, just one dentist surgery is accepting new NHS patients in Winchester. 

Research conducted by Winchester Liberal Democrats reveals that, except Oliver's Battery Dental Surgery, the closest NHS dentist services available for residents is Eastleigh or Portsmouth.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to give patients a legal right to see their GP within a week, and 24-hours if in urgent need. The party is also calling on the government to publish a dental recovery plan.

Winchester Lib Dem election candidate Danny Chambers said: “Patients in the South Downs would need to travel over 10 miles to get to Eastleigh or Portsmouth to get an appointment. That journey is practically impossible by public transport, and inconvenient for those with a car.

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“I meet people in Winchester and the Meon Valley every week who are stuck on NHS waiting lists, unable to get the treatment they deserve.

“The Liberal Democrats are calling on government to give a patient a legal right to see their GP within a week, and 24-hours if in urgent need.”

To view the ‘Find a dentist’ service, visit nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist.

A Hampshire Integrated Care Board spokesman said:  “We are aware of the issues and frustrations in Winchester where patients cannot always access an NHS dentist. Unfortunately, these are issues that are seen across Hampshire and indeed the country as we face challenges in recruiting NHS dentists whilst working within the parameters of a national contract. The NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) took over the responsibility for dentistry this year and we are working hard to secure more NHS contracts for dentistry across Hampshire to increase the availability of NHS dentist appointments closer to where patients live.

“The NHS in Hampshire is investing £6 million in the next few years on a number of projects that will address both short-term issues such as the backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and longer-term solutions, such as boosting local dental workforce to increase the local availability of NHS dentists.”