Bupa Dental Care will close 85 practices this year, blaming a nationwide shortage of dentists.
The private healthcare group currently runs around 450 dental practices which offer both private and NHS dental care. Bupa says it has struggled to recruit dentists to offer NHS services.
It adds that the industry faced significant systemic challenges, as a result of the NHS contract model and increased demand and complexity of care since the Covid pandemic.
The practices earmarked for closure will be closed, sold or merged by the end of this year, potentially putting up to 1,200 jobs at risk, although Bupa said it will seek to deploy staff within its business where possible.
Bupa Dental Care general manager Mark Allan says: “As a leading dental provider in the UK, our priority must be to enable patients to receive the care they need. For the majority of affected practices, this decision will allow commissioners to procure local providers for the NHS contract, tailoring services and investment to the needs of the local community, thereby providing a better opportunity for patients to continue access to NHS dental services.”
He added this decision will enable Bupa to focus its efforts on “high-quality, continued sustainable care” for patients across its wider portfolio.
These changes come as the UK faces the largest increase in NHS dental costs for 17 years.