- Bupa Dental Care to close, sell or merge 85 dental practices in the UK, due to the national shortage of dentists and increased costs caused by inflation.
- All 475 Bupa practices across the UK and Ireland are open as usual, changes to affected practices will take place later this year.
- Bupa remains fully committed to the UK dental market and provision of NHS services
Here is a list of the practices that are impacted by our planned changes:
Planning to sell
- Bupa Dental Care Addlestone
- Bupa Dental Care Ashton-in-Makerfield
- Bupa Dental Care Boston
- Bupa Dental Care Brampton
- Bupa Dental Care Burton on Trent
- Bupa Dental Care Cove Bay
- Bupa Dental Care Crewkerne
- Bupa Dental Care Denbigh
- Bupa Dental Care Egremont
- Bupa Dental Care Erdington
- Bupa Dental Care Evington
- Bupa Dental Care Harleston
- Bupa Dental Care Hereford
- Bupa Dental Care Hucknall
- Bupa Dental Care Kendal
- Bupa Dental Care Keswick
- Bupa Dental Care Kingseat
- Bupa Dental Care Liskeard
- Bupa Dental Care Lydney
- Bupa Dental Care Marden
- Bupa Dental Care Maryport
- Bupa Dental Care Netherfield
- Bupa Dental Care Newport Shropshire
- Bupa Dental Care North Lakeland
- Bupa Dental Care North Walsham
- Bupa Dental Care Penge
- Bupa Dental Care Penrhyn
- Bupa Dental Care Plymouth
- Bupa Dental Care Preston
- Bupa Dental Care Redditch
- Bupa Dental Care Rhyl
- Bupa Dental Care Rise Park
- Bupa Dental Care Rustington
- Bupa Dental Care Ryde
- Bupa Dental Care Seaford
- Bupa Dental Care Sleaford
- Bupa Dental Care Stroud
- Bupa Dental Care Sutton-in-Ashfield
- Bupa Dental Care Wellingborough
- Bupa Dental Care Woolston
- Bupa Dental Care Worcester City
- Metamorphosis Orthodontics
- Wrexham Dental Implant Clinic
- Total Orthodontics Colwyn Bay
- Total Orthodontics Wigan
Our news story continued…
Bupa Dental Care has taken the difficult decision to close, merge or sell 85 dental practices in the UK. This is due to a lack of dentists to deliver NHS care in the UK, in addition to increased running costs caused by inflation and high energy prices.
Despite significant investment by Bupa Dental Care, the business has been unable to recruit enough dentists to deliver NHS care in many practices for months, and in some cases, years. This is due to the industry-wide challenges of the NHS contract model, and increased demand and complexity of care since the COVID-19 pandemic.
These factors mean patients at these practices have not been able to access the NHS dental services they need.
Mark Allan, General Manager for Bupa Dental Care, said:
“As a leading dental provider in the UK, our priority must be to enable patients to receive the care they need. For the majority of affected practices, this decision will allow commissioners to procure local providers for the NHS contract, tailoring services and investment to the needs of the local community, thereby providing a better opportunity for patients to continue access to NHS dental services.”
The focus is for patients to receive the NHS care they need and deserve, and Bupa will provide resources to help patients find alternative local providers. For practices that are due to close, Bupa will be handing back the dental contract to the NHS, which will allow commissioners to procure a new provider, thereby providing patients with a better opportunity to continue access to NHS dental services.
Bupa will also fully support its people through this change, redeploying affected colleagues where possible to continue their careers with Bupa.
Mark continued:
“We fully understand the impact today’s decision has on our patients and our people within these practices. This decision has not been taken lightly and closure is a last resort. Despite our continued efforts, the dental industry is facing a number of significant and systemic challenges that are placing additional pressure on providing patient care, in particular recruiting dentists to deliver NHS dental care. This decision enables us to focus our efforts on high-quality, continued sustainable care for patients across our wider portfolio.”
Bupa remains fully committed to the UK dental market and provision of NHS services, and all its dental practices across the UK and Ireland are open as usual. The affected dental practices will either be sold, closed or merged later this year, with the timing of the service changes varying by location. Bupa will be working with the affected practices over the coming months and expect to complete the process later in the year.
For further information, visit our FAQs on Bupa Dental Care changes.