Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, has welcomed news of plans for a new dental academy in his region.
Mr Rowlands, Shadow Minister for Local Government, a keen advocate of improving the lack of NHS dentists in North Wales said:
I am pleased to hear that a new dental practice has opened its doors in Bangor, which should help towards easing the major problems people have in accessing treatment in that area.
Although it is rather concerning that they have received 8,000 enquiries during a three week registration period. This just shows how chronic the problem is in North Wales.
It is part of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s ambitious plans to help tackle the shortage of dentists and eventually the building will also provide a dental academy which of course is a step in the right direction.
However, I am still receiving emails from people across North Wales trying to access NHS treatment and I have repeatedly called on the Welsh Government to do more.
Years of chronic underfunding and lack of planning has led to this problem and people are being forced to pay thousands to go privately or take extreme measures themselves.
An update from the health board said the opening of a new dental practice in Bangor, completed the first stage of an ambitious plan to help tackle a chronic shortage of NHS dentists across North Wales.
Located in the spacious Ty Glyder building, which has undergone an £1.6m refurbishment, the Bangor Dental Academy forms part of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s ambitious efforts to attract, train and retain more dental professionals, in response to a UK wide shortage.
Once fully staffed, the academy’s recently opened ground floor dental practice will provide eight clinics, replacing the four that were lost when dental practices in Bangor and Menai Bridge closed in recent years.
The second floor of the building boasts state-of-the-art clinical and conferencing facilities that will be used to train and upskill dental professionals from across North Wales when it opens early next year. By mid-2023, Community Dental Service clinics will be introduced on the third floor, increasing the number of patients that can be seen, as well as the quality of care provided.
The practice received 8,000 enquiries within three weeks of opening patient registration. Registration has since been paused while recruitment is completed. Those who have already registered an interest will be contacted in due course.
Sam Rowlands AS yn falch o weld deintyddfa newydd yn agor ym Mangor
Mae Sam Rowlands, Aelod o’r Senedd dros Ogledd Cymru, wedi croesawu'r newyddion am gynlluniau ar gyfer academi ddeintyddol newydd yn ei ranbarth.
Meddai Mr Rowlands, Gweinidog Llywodraeth Leol yr Wrthblaid, sy’n eiriolwr brwd dros wella diffyg deintyddion GIG yn y Gogledd:
Rwy'n falch o glywed bod deintyddfa newydd wedi agor ei drysau ym Mangor, a ddylai helpu tuag at leddfu'r problemau mawr sydd gan bobl wrth gael mynediad at driniaeth yn yr ardal honno.
Mae’n bryder braidd eu bod wedi derbyn 8,000 o ymholiadau yn ystod cyfnod cofrestru o dair wythnos, sy’n dangos pa mor gronig yw'r broblem yn y Gogledd.
Mae'n rhan o gynlluniau uchelgeisiol Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr i helpu i fynd i'r afael â'r prinder deintyddion ac yn y pen draw fe fydd yr adeilad hefyd yn darparu academi ddeintyddol sydd wrth gwrs yn gam i'r cyfeiriad cywir.
Fodd bynnag, rwy'n dal i dderbyn e-byst gan bobl ledled y gogledd yn ceisio cael triniaeth y GIG ac rydw i wedi galw droeon ar Lywodraeth Cymru i wneud mwy.
Mae blynyddoedd o danariannu cronig a diffyg cynllunio wedi arwain at y broblem hon ac mae pobl yn cael eu gorfodi i dalu miloedd i fynd yn breifat neu gymryd mesurau eithafol eu hunain.
Dywedodd diweddariad gan y bwrdd iechyd fod agor practis deintyddol newydd ym Mangor, wedi cwblhau cam cyntaf cynllun uchelgeisiol i helpu i fynd i'r afael â phrinder dybryd o ddeintyddion GIG ar draws y gogledd.
Wedi’i leoli yn adeilad eang Tŷ Glyder, sydd wedi’i adnewyddu am £1.6m, mae Academi Ddeintyddol Bangor yn rhan o ymdrechion uchelgeisiol Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr i ddenu, hyfforddi a chadw mwy o weithwyr proffesiynol deintyddol, mewn ymateb i brinder ledled y DU.
Unwaith y bydd wedi’i staffio'n llawn, bydd practis deintyddol y llawr gwaelod a agorwyd gan yr academi yn ddiweddar yn darparu wyth clinig, gan gymryd lle'r pedwar a gollwyd pan gaeodd deintyddfeydd ym Mangor a Phorthaethwy yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf.
Mae ail lawr yr adeilad yn cynnwys cyfleusterau clinigol a chynadledda o'r radd flaenaf a gaiff eu defnyddio i hyfforddi ac uwchsgilio gweithwyr proffesiynol deintyddol o bob cwr o’r Gogledd pan fydd yn agor yn gynnar y flwyddyn nesaf. Erbyn canol 2023, bydd clinigau'r Gwasanaeth Deintyddol Cymunedol yn agor ar y trydydd llawr, gan gynyddu nifer y cleifion y gellir eu gweld, yn ogystal ag ansawdd y gofal sy'n cael ei ddarparu.
Fe dderbyniodd y practis 8,000 ymholiad o fewn tair wythnos o agor i gleifion gofrestru. Ers hynny, mae cofrestru wedi cael ei oedi tra bod y gwaith recriwtio yn mynd rhagddo. Byddwn yn cysylltu â'r rhai sydd eisoes wedi cofrestru diddordeb maes o law.
