PATIENTS have been removed from dental surgery lists are are struggling to find an alternative provider, a Cheshire MP has revealed.

MP Esther McVey says people have told her they have been unable to find a NHS dentist.

The Tatton MP said: "Anyone who wants to access good and local NHS dentistry should be able to but it seems more and more people are struggling, and the situation is getting worse since the pandemic.

"A requirement of many practices to stay on an NHS list is attending routine appointments and many have told me that they could not attend an appointment as one was not available.

"Some say this is because their surgeries were closed during the pandemic and others say since re-opening there have been reduced appointments or that dentists were prioritising emergency work.”

Ms McVey has written to the Department of Health calling for a meeting to discuss the issue.

Last week, the NHS announced an extra 350,000 early appointments to tackle the Covid backlog.

The £50 million fund will see £7.31 million allocated to the north west and the appointments will be available until the end of the financial year, meaning most will be in February and March.

Ms McVey is seeking a breakdown of appointments to ensure her constituents receive a fair share.

Many people resorted to DIY dentistry when they couldn't see a dentist during the pandemic, or if one was available, many were unable to pay private costs.

Ms McVey said: “NHS dentistry provision is a recurring theme in my post bag but the amount of correspondence I am receiving has increased in recent weeks.

"People are rightly frustrated to learn they have been removed from NHS surgeries or lists.

“I welcome the extra appointments being made available and want to ensure my constituents will benefit from this, but we need to look long term at NHS dentistry as this is an issue that is not going away. People need to be able to access care.”

In lockdown most dentists provided patients with advice and antibiotics over the phone and those in need of emergency treatment were referred to urgent care hubs.

Ms McVey repeatedly told Government surgeries should be allowed to open and dentists were more than capable of assessing risk to themselves.