This disgraceful situation was recently brought to Mr Dunne's attention by his constituent Mrs Georgette Palmer from Bishop's Castle, a pensioner who had been trying since September 2002 to register with an NHS dentist. She was eventually offered an appointment in June this year at a clinic in Craven Arms - nearly 15 miles from her home. Not ideal for an elderly lady on income support reliant on public transport.
Far from being a lone example, there are similar cases still unresolved. The Chief Executive of Shropshire County PCT acknowledged this problem writing recently to Mr Dunne: "In 2002 the Bishops Castle dental practice ran a waiting list system for new patients requesting registration. The waiting list has now closed, but still has outstanding patients on it. The Practice is not refusing to see new patients but are at capacity at the moment
