The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is facing calls to rethink a groundbreaking initiative to create a joint health facility for military personnel and the community at Catterick after it emerged 17 out of 18 dental surgery rooms on the site would be reserved for soldiers.
The calls follow elected representatives of communities in Richmondshire expressing dismay over the distribution of resources in the joint NHS and MoD Catterick Integrated Care Campus, which is costing the taxpayer £55m, including a £12.69m contribution from the NHS.
Those behind the care campus have previously highlighted it will deliver a range of primary healthcare services that the whole population of the district will have access to, “regardless of whether they wear a uniform or not”.
A North Yorkshire County Council meeting this week heard the MoD had paid for 17 dental surgeries at the campus “as when they get an influx of 40 soldiers returning from tours or preparing to go out in the field they need to be seen”.
An NHS official told Richmond constituency committee an 18th dental surgery at the campus would be for members of the community who are unable to access dental care elsewhere due to their physical or mental health.
Some councillors expressed consternation that the MoD was not planning to allow the dental facilities to be shared with the community at times when they were not being fully utilised, highlighting that residents were “screaming out” for more dental facilities.
Leyburn and Middleham division councillor Karin Sedgwick said wives of soldiers had complained despite facing agony they would not be allowed to use the dental surgery.
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Councillors said the MoD’s stance was “disgusting” as the military had been allowed to use NHS facilities at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton and James Cook Memorial Hospital in Middlesbrough.
The meeting was told the NHS would face “very serious questions” if it had 17 dental surgeries that were not being fully utilised and that the NHS retained an aspiration to have NHS community dental services on the site.
An NHS official said: “I would hope in future we are able to bring our MoD colleagues around to the concept of integration sharing. At the moment we haven’t been successful in doing that.”
Councillor Kevin Foster, who represents nearby Colburn, said the scheme represented a golden opportunity for the MoD to work together with the community to help personnel integrate into civilian life.
He said: “I know from working in the military that in August the whole military usually goes on leave unless there’s operations on and to think 17 dental surgeries are not going to be used. After all it’s all taxpayers money, we are all paying for it. I think this needs looking at seriously.”
After the meeting Richmond councillor Stuart Parsons called on North Yorkshire and Richmondshire councils to withdraw their support for the scheme until it was clear residents they represented were not being “left with the crumbs”.
Coun Parsons, the leader of the county council’s Independent group, said residents were already crying out for more NHS dental provision, the families of 2,700 additional service personnel were set to rebased Catterick Garrison site by 2030.
He said: “This is an absolute scandal. If the MoD wants to reserve everything for the military then they should pay for it all and not take it from our budgets and money from each of our councils and from central government which was meant to be for NHS provision.”
In response, an MoD spokesman said it was continually reviewing the campus scheme, but had no plans to allow the dental facilities to be shared.