08/07/2005
Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust today announced that a dental practice in Cheltenham town centre has employed two new dentists to provide capacity for 4,000 new NHS registrations.
The PCT is part of a Strategic Health Authority (Avon, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire) wide recruitment initiative to bring dentist to the UK from Poland. To date eight dentist have arrived in the region from Poland, with two coming to Cheltenham.
Magdalena and Jakub, joined the town centre practice earlier this month and have undertaken a comprehensive induction programme prior to treating any local patients. In Poland before they arrived, they spent two months learning more about UK culture and language. Since they arrived in the UK they have attended Bristol University Dental School, where they have been consolidating their knowledge of UK clinical practice.
Magdalena and Jakub (both 29 years of age) have been in dental practice in Wroclaw in Poland for three years. A married couple, they were both keen to make the move to the UK in order to extend their clinical skills and to experience British culture. Their first impressions of the UK's oral health:
Paul Edwards, the PCT's Director of Clinical Provision, explained:
"This is good news for local residents. We know from feedback from the public that, like elsewhere in the UK, NHS dentistry is a real concern to people. The PCT is working hard to increase access to NHS dentistry locally. We extend a warm welcome to Magdalena and Jakub and we look forward to working with them in the future".
The PCT has stressed that it will not be possible for patients to register by visiting the practice, by telephoning the practice or by post.
People wishing to register will need to contact a Registrations Helpline on:
01452 318 858 and 01452 318 872 from 12.00 on Friday 8 July 2005.
A Registrations Helpline for NHS dental registrations for this practice will be open for one week from 12.00 - 16.30 on Friday 8 July, from 8.30 - 5.00 from Monday 11 July - Thursday 14 July and again on Friday 15 July from 8.30 - 16.30. (Closed at the weekend).
Alternatively people can request an application form via email on: dental@glos.nhs.uk Local people are asked to be patient, as the PCT anticipates that there will be high levels of interest.
