A DENTAL practice is determined to singlehandedly meet the shortage of NHS care in Ulverston after opening a new surgery which will be able to cater for 2,500 more patients.

Fountain Street Dental Surgery has moved two doors down from its former home in a 16th century cottage, where partners Simon Lewis and Christian Turner have established an enviable reputation over the past 12 years.

Earlier this year, NHS Cumbria commissioned them to provide 2,500 new NHS dental places on top of the 8,500 patients already on the books, so they have relocated to larger premises - officially unveiled by town mayor Norman Bishop-Rowe - where there will now be five dentists, three hygienists and 10 nursing staff.

Mr Turner said: "Although we haven't moved very far, a lot of hard work has gone into our new premises and I'd like to thank all our staff and patients for their support."

Mr Lewis said the team hoped they would have seen all of those new patients within 18 months at the practice, which has a new decontamination room, five surgeries and improved disabled access.

“We just ran out of room,” he added. “We didn’t have adequate disabled facilities and new guidelines for sterilisation and decontamination were introduced this year, and we had nowhere to build these.

“Because of the demand for NHS dentistry in Ulverston, we knew we had to expand so we had to bite the bullet and move.”

The move marks a fitting return to its medical roots for the large Georgian building is returning to its medical roots, having once been St Mary’s Nursing Home.

The partners bought the building from Yvonne Thistlethwaite, and during the ceremony, her daughter Elaine Geatti presented them with an original key to the front door as a moving-in gift.