NHS contracts have been terminated at two Wirral dental practices.

Hundreds of people in Wirral will be left without an NHS dentist after Smart Dental Group was issued with a termination notice for failing to address breaches in their NHS services.

The Smart Dental practices in Wirral affected are Poulton Dental Practice in Wallasey and Warren Drive Dental Practice in Wallasey.

Other practices include Picton Dental Practice in Liverpool and Dental Practice in Bootle.

Suken Shah, managing director at Smart Dental Care Group, said: “Our practices are continuing to operate as normal except we are unable to see NHS patients due to the sudden termination of the NHS contracts due to an ongoing dispute with the NHS since May 2023 over the fact that the NHS claimed that there was not a dentist available for all of the core hours when they rang the practice on the 2nd of May 2023.

“The NHS have not engaged in any meaningful resolution from our perspective.

“The decision to stop NHS treatments with no notice has disadvantaged thousands of patients who have booked appointments despite many patients being in mid-treatment in some of the most deprived areas in Merseyside and Cheshire who are now facing no alternative to the service that was being offered.  

“There are no practices in the area taking on new NHS patients that we are aware of.

“The irony is that our practice has a full complement of NHS clinicians available, but the NHS seem determined to terminate contracts for procedural or dogmatic reasons rather than to put the interests of the patients first and foremost in their decision making.

“Our practice has put in place an alternative Independent dental scheme to offer dentistry at prices similar to NHS dental charges to support patients who can not afford private alternatives.”

A spokesperson for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said: “In August 2023, Smart Dental group were issued with a termination notice for failing to address breaches in their General Dental Services (GDS) contractual obligations for the delivery of NHS care at five practices, meaning they can no longer provide NHS treatment. 

“This decision was upheld by Primary Care Appeals – the organisation responsible for ensuring the fair resolution of disputes between primary care contractors and integrated care boards. 

“We understand that this situation may be worrying for patients who are currently receiving a course of NHS dental treatment from one these five practices or are due to begin an episode of care under them soon and we are working closely with the provider to ensure that ongoing NHS treatment is completed in a timely manner, via an alternative local provider.

“Further signposting information will soon be available so patients who wish to do so can continue to access NHS Dental care.

 “Urgent dental care access is available seven days a week. Anyone who is in dental pain or in urgent need of support, help or advice, can contact the Cheshire and Merseyside dental helpline on 0161 476 9651(standard local telephone charges apply).”