Hundreds of objections as popular Sheffield dental surgery due to close this month

Jordanthorpe Dental Clinic has provided general and special services for many years but NHS England, which is responsible for commissioning dental care, is no longer supporting the clinic.

Patients have been informed it’s due to close at the end of March and those currently receiving general dental care have been advised to find alternative NHS provision.

Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh is fighting to save the dental practice and launched the petition.

She says patients can’t move to another local NHS dentist because there are so few available and travelling to alternative services outside of Jordanthorpe would be a severe challenge for residents with limited mobility or who rely on public transport.

Ms Haigh has written to the chief executive of NHS England to ask that the decision to close the clinic be reversed and is currently awaiting a reply.

David Turton, a patient at the clinic, said: “No-one in our communities could believe it when, out of the blue, we received a letter informing us that our dentist was to be closed.

“The clinic is embedded in our community and the staff are excellent. The dentist serves a very large area in the south of Sheffield and supports many local families.

“A lot of the patients are older people who will struggle to travel to other services that are miles away.

“Closing it would be catastrophic and result in a lot of people being unable to access treatment.”

Ms Haigh said the fact that so many residents had signed this petition was testament to the strength of feeling locally.

“Everyone should be able to access convenient NHS dental care in their community. Jordanthorpe Dental Clinic has been providing a really important service that local people have come to rely on and it shouldn’t now be taken away.

“I look forward to receiving a reply from the NHS and, in the meantime, will continue to fight for the clinic’s future.”

The petition can be signed here