South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has once again called for urgent action from the Scottish Government after it was announced that another dental practice in the region is to de-register patients from NHS services.

The dental practice at 21 St John Street, Stranraer has issued a letter to around 1,000 patients, notifying them of its plans.

The practice said no further NHS appointments will be available for routine dental care and that NHS emergency care will come to an end on 30 November.

Colin Smyth said: “It seems that one dental practice after another is axing or reducing NHS services at the moment, and the Scottish Government are like rabbits caught in the headlights.

“They have no ideas or plans to deal with this crisis. As a result, NHS dentistry in Dumfries and Galloway remains in crisis, the time for warm words is over, we need action.

“Patients in Stranraer will now have to join many others across the region in either having to pay for private care or try to find another dentist that provides NHS care but that is almost impossible locally. It is effectively the privatisation of NHS care in Dumfries and Galloway.

“I am really angry that the Scottish Government have failed to wake up to the growing dental crisis.

“The double whammy of the UK Government’s Brexit, which has meant there are almost no EU dentists coming to the UK anymore, and more significantly, the Scottish Government’s failure to properly fund dentists means this isn’t the first practice to remove NHS services and it certainly won’t be the last. I expect many others to follow.

“Both Governments have been warned over and over that this would happen but they have completely ignored those warnings.

“Unless both governments face up to this crisis in our area, it is only a matter of time before no adult in our region has NHS dental care.”