Hundreds queue for hours to register at new NHS dentist in Bristol
Saint Pauls Dental Practice opened on Monday
Hundreds of people joined the queue outside Saint Pauls Dental Practice on Monday (5th February) to register for an NHS dentist.
Many had to wait more than three hours in the queue before getting the chance to register and some were told to leave early and come back later in the week.
The line stretched along Ashley Road and around the corner on Brook Road.
James was waiting for over two hours.
"It's a sign of broken Britain," he said, "I came an hour early to be careful but I thought it would just be in an and out - it's just unbelievable!"
Another man told me he hasn't had a dentist for five years.
"Is Taylor Swift in there?," he asked, "it's like I'm waiting at Alton Towers."
People bought food, drinks, camp chairs and books in preparation for the wait.
One woman couldn't believe her eyes when she arrived at 9 that morning to a queue around the building.
"I thought it would be straightforward - we're just registering for a service that we need.
"We shouldn't be expected to queue for a service that we need, out in the pouring rain like this.
"Everyone is desperate. It's not right."
At lunchtime, part of the queue was cut off and people were asked to come back the next day, with registrations expected to continue throughout the week.
Prett Gill, the Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health said in a statement: “These queues lays bare the state of dentistry after 14 years of the Conservatives.
"99% of dentists across the South West aren't accepting any new adult patients.
“The consequences for patients are dire. Last year, there were more than 1,000 dental emergencies in Bristol alone."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:
“We are making progress to boost NHS dental services, with 23% more treatments delivered last year compared to the previous year, and 1.7 million extra adults and 800,000 more children receiving NHS dental care.
“We back NHS dentistry with £3 billion of funding every year, and recently announced plans to increase dental training places by 40% as part of the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan.
“Further measures to improve access and increase the number of NHS dentists through our dental recovery plan will be set out shortly."