A DENTAL practice in Bromyard is removing most of its NHS patients from its list to try and remain viable.

About 2,500 NHS fee-paying adults are affected.

The dentists, Paul Felton and Julie Grant who work in Broad Street say they can no longer continue as an exclusively NHS-based practice providing high quality care and stay in business.

"We have long been opposed to private treatment but have no choice but to seek an alternative method of funding the practice," said Mr Felton.

Like many colleagues in Herefordshire and Worcestershire his practice had found it difficult to remain viable under the health service and it was generally acknowledged NHS dentistry had been under funded since the early 1990s.

Mounting debts

"We have struggled to remain in the health service for a number of years, but despite being a busy practice we have been overwhelmed with mounting debts," added Mr Felton.

The practice has around 4,000 on its list and is seeking to de-register 2,500 adults.

It will continue with a NHS service for all those exempted from payment, including children up to the age of 18.

Mr Felton, who said the practice had been struggling with the problem for five years expressed regret at the situation.

"I am sorry it has come to this. I do not know of any dentist's practice wanting to leave the NHS but there is no alternative,'' he said.

All the people being de-registered are offered the opportunity to stay with the practice as Denplan Care patients.

Mr Felton said they were being deluged with the response.

"They are brilliant. They have been so supportive and are ringing up all the time to for their assessment to join the plan,'' he said.

Under the scheme people pay between £8 and £25 per month, the average being £14, for dental care.

l Hereford MP Paul Keetch claims Herefordshire is heading for a dental crisis.

"Dentists are leaving the NHS in droves and the number of people registered with an NHS dentist has fallen alarmingly,'' he said.

Only 51 per cent of people in the county were registered with a NHS dentist compared with 65 per cent in 1996, according to figures released by the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Keetch said the Government was putting all its money into schemes providing dental centres and described these as a waste of money.

"They often require patients to travel further, and mean related illnesses are often not picked up early enough, or prevented.

"Labour's pledge that all patients would have access to dentistry meant that everyone would have access to a telephone and a long car journey,'' he said.