MORE than 4500 people have expressed an interest in an appointment at a new NHS dental practice opening soon in Somerset.
The Somerset NHS Trust is working with DentistryForYou to open Crewkerne Dental Care, a new practice located at 22 Market Street in the town centre.
This new NHS dental practice will be offering NHS and private appointments and is due to open in late May 2026, with the exact date to be confirmed.
Crewkerne was chosen for the new practice as one of the areas of the country where more NHS appointments are ‘most needed’.
An online portal where people could express an interest in an appointment, along with a phone number for people who could not use the internet, was opened on the morning of April 22.
Interest in the new practice was high, and more than 4500 expressions of interest were received during the day.
All patients who completed the expression of interest form should have received a message confirming that practice staff will be in contact to arrange a first appointment.
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Initial data shows that about 75 per cent of those came from Crewkerne and the surrounding postcodes.
To ‘ensure patient safety and fairness’, DentistryForYou has paused the expression of interest facility for now, but the firm ‘hopes to reopen in due course.’
Dr Bernie Marden, chief medical officer at NHS Somerset, said: “I’m pleased to say that three quarters of the people expressing an interest came from the Crewkerne area and surrounding postcodes.
“This practice on its own won't solve all the issues facing local people, but it is great news for the town and will help thousands more people get to access NHS dental care in the county.”
DentistryForYou group manager Elizabeth Fernandez added: “We are looking forward to welcoming patients to the new practice in Crewkerne.
“Interest has been high, and we have to limit expressions of interest to ensure that numbers do not exceed capacity. Once the practice is established, we hope to be able to reopen the opportunity for people to express an interest, and we will work with NHS Somerset and other local partners to keep people up to date.”
The practice will not be accepting in-person registrations at the premises.
On a post on Facebook, Crewkerne Town Council said: "We’d like to share a brief update regarding the proposed new NHS dental practice.
"DentistryForYou has currently paused the expression of interest process. This is a temporary step, and the firm has indicated that it hopes to reopen the process in due course.
"We understand how important access to NHS dental services is for our community and will continue to share updates as soon as more information becomes available.
"Thank you for your patience and understanding."
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