The Bradley Stoke Journal

Phoenix Dental Bradley Stoke is offering free oral cancer screenings for all patients as part of their NHS check up.

The action is in support of November’s Mouth Cancer Action Month organised by the British Dental Health Foundation and Denplan.

The practice will also be manning a display stand at the Willow Brook Centre Bradley Stoke on Sunday 22nd November to raise public awareness of the problem.

The campaign, symbolised by a blue ribbon, calls upon dentists, pharmacists and all healthcare professionals to spread the message: “If in doubt get checked out”.

Phoenix Dental’s Wendy Bull told The Journal:

“Every five hours someone dies of mouth cancer in the UK. Statistics from cancer research UK shows that 5,325 new cases were diagnosed in 2006 – that’s more than cervical and testicular cancers combined and an increase of 41% over the last decade.. Yet very few people have even heard of the disease!”

“As oral healthcare professionals we are keen to highlight that if in any doubt at all about white or red patches in the mouth or mouth ulcers that don’t heal, then please see your dentist without delay. Early detection transforms survival chances to more than 90%.”

Free oral cancer screening and routine checks can be booked by calling Phoenix Dental Bradley Stoke on 01179 114 441.

Related link: Dentists in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

Bradley Stoke’s first-ever dental surgery opened for business today on the first floor of the mall building at the town’s Willow Brook Centre.

The opening marks the end of a long campaign to secure NHS dental provision in Bradley Stoke and follows years of frustration for residents, during which they have had to travel to practices in neighbouring towns.

The history of health care provision in Bradley Stoke is littered with false starts and setbacks. The Town Council proudly announced in September 2005 that a new health centre, incorporating a dental practice, was to be built on a site at Savages Wood Road (opposite the new Tesco filling station). Those plans were later shelved by NHS South Gloucestershire, which decided it would rather spend the money on extending existing GP practices that serve the town (and we’re still waiting for those, four years on!).

Local Lib Dems launched a campaign for a dental surgery in June 2007, claiming that no dentist within 3km of the town was currently accepting NHS patients. They were supported by local MP Steve Webb who said it was extraordinary that a community the size of Bradley Stoke (with more than 20,000 residents) did not have its own dental practice.

The first signs of progress came in October 2007 when South Gloucestershire Council approved Tesco’s plans for the development of a new town centre. The planning agreement included a requirement on Tesco to “actively market one of the upper floor units of the mall … for use as a dental surgery for a minimum period of six months”.

Further confirmation that things were happening came in April 2008 when NHS South Gloucesterhire started the tendering process for “the new Bradley Stoke dental practice”, quoting a target opening date of December 2008.

That timescale proved slightly optimistic as the chosen service provider, Phoenix Dental Limited, was not appointed until January 2009.

Phoenix initially said they would be opening the practice in April 2009, but later confirmed the date had slipped to 18th May 2009.

The practice, which employs two dentists an a hygienist, is open from 8:30am to 6pm Monday – Friday, with later opening on Wednesdays until 7:30pm. Some appointments may also be available on Saturday mornings.

Access to the surgery is via a door to the left of the main car park entrance to the mall, from where stairs and a lift lead to the first floor.

The company’s literature says it is one of the few remaining practices to provide dental care for both adults and children under the NHS.

Appointments may be made by phoning 01179 114441 or via the Bradley Stoke Dental Surgery website.

Shoe retailer Brantano has begun advertising shop assistant vacancies for its new store in Bradley Stoke, which The Journal understands will be sited in the new retail terrace at the Willow Brook Centre.

The company advertised management positions at the new store back in February. Now it is looking for part-time sales supervisors and part-time sales assistants via listings on the Jobcentre Plus website.

Animal superstore Pets at Home recently advertised for full-time and part-time team member positions at its “Bradley Stoke New Store”, which might also be located in the retail terrace.

Elsewhere in the Willow Brook Centre, fitting out of the new Ladbrokes betting shop is well advanced and a large “opening soon” banner has recently been erected in the Town Square.

The new Taylors Estate Agents office will open in the Town Square (between Greggs and KFC) on Monday 11th May, while Bradley Stoke’s first-ever NHS dental practice, run by Phoenix Dental, is set to open on Monday 18th May on the first floor of the main Willow Brook Centre building.

The full list of new tenants in phase 2 of the Willow Brook Centre is due to be revealed soon, after banners showing which units are “under offer” appeared last month. Four of those units are in the shopping mall, which also houses the giant Tesco Extra store.

Related Links:

• Bradley Stoke Jobs (The Journal)
• Willow Brook Centre Jobs (The Journal)

Patient registrations for Bradley Stoke’s soon to open NHS dental practice have begun with the launch of a new website.

Phoenix Dental Ltd, which already operates practices in Almondsbury, Kingswood and Yate, has announced that Bradley Stoke’s first-ever NHS dentist will open on Monday 18th May.

Patients can now book check-up appointments online at: http://www.phoenixdental.co.uk/bradley_s/

Bookings are also being taken by telephone on 0117 9114441.

The two chair dental surgery will be based in ‘mall office unit #1′ (shown red in the plan below) on the first floor of the Willow Brook Centre.

A spokesperson for Phoenix Dental told The Journal that leaflets advertising the new practice will be distributed in the Willow Brook Centre this coming weekend (18th/19th April).

Related Links: NHS Dentists in Bradley Stoke and the Surrounding Area