Bupa plans to close, sell or merge 85 dental practices in the UK, affecting hundreds of jobs, due to the national shortage of NHS dentists and rising costs.
Bupa Dental Care said it had been unable to recruit enough dentists to deliver NHS care in many UK practices for “months, and in some cases, years”, which meant it had been unable to keep up with the growing demand for care since the Covid-19 pandemic.
It has also seen higher running costs due to inflation and high energy prices.
The move later this year is expected to affect 1,200 jobs. The total number of Bupa dental practices in the UK will be reduced to 365.
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General manager Mark Allan said: “We fully understand the impact today’s decision has on our patients and our people within these practices. This decision has not been taken lightly and closure is a last resort.
“Despite our continued efforts, the dental industry is facing a number of significant and systemic challenges that are placing additional pressure on providing patient care, in particular recruiting dentists to deliver NHS dental care. This decision enables us to focus our efforts on high-quality, continued sustainable care for patients across our wider portfolio.”
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The company said it would fully support affected employees and redeploy them into other areas od the business where possible.
