The online portal for the new NHS dental practice in Chard is set to reopen after going offline due to technical issues.
One Smile Dental, located on Leach Road, is scheduled to start seeing patients from December 2, following a final week of preparations. However, the practice will not accept in-person registrations at the site.
The portal, which allows patients to express interest in appointments, was initially set to reopen at 1pm on November 27.
Within minutes, the site went down due to technical difficulties. Officials have since confirmed that the online registration will reopen next week, though the exact date and time are yet to be announced.
A spokesperson for Somerset NHS Trust, which commissions dental services in the county, said:
“The portal opened this week, but a technical problem on Thursday meant expressions of interest had to be paused. We know this is really important to local people, and we’re sorry for the delay. The practice is working hard to get registrations back up and running as soon as they can. This won’t be until next week (commencing December 1), and an exact day and time is yet to be confirmed. Advance notice will be provided on the practice’s site about when the portal will be reopening.”
Those who successfully submitted their details through the portal will receive confirmation emails from the practice before the portal reopens to the public.
The Chard practice opens two months after a new dental surgery began operating in Wellington. Plans are also underway for a new dental service in Crewkerne next year.