OVER the past 15 years I have enjoyed an excellent dental service from all the departments of the High Street Dental Surgery, in Lowestoft, and I am now very disappointed to read that our PCT appears to be jeopardising this service.

OVER the past 15 years I have enjoyed an excellent dental service from all the departments of the High Street Dental Surgery, in Lowestoft, and I am now very disappointed to read that our PCT appears to be jeopardising this service.

Until recently I thought I had a personal and confidential relationship with my dentist who I selected, however, it now appears that my dentist's contract is to be re-bid for at the behest of some nebulous bureaucracy.

Well if this is to be the case, I have the following questions for our PCT which I should be grateful if they would reply:

Why did you not have the common courtesy to advise all of the surgery's patients that you are re-bidding our dental provider?

Why have you not circulated us to enquire of our requirements?

Will a patient's representative participate in this process?

What security will surround our detailed medical records during this bidding process?

What guarantees will there be that all patients will continue to receive a full National Health dental service whatever the outcome?

What guarantees will there be that the surgery will be as conveniently located with the current abundant free parking?

I believe that what appears to be happening to the surgery highlights the current failure of all the NHS.

It seems that an overstaffed bureaucracy is pointlessly interfering with the smooth running of the front end service providers and wasting a disproportionate amount of time and money.

I truly hope that the High Street Dental Surgery will triumph in this wasteful exercise and that I and all the other patients will continue to benefit from their first class service.

MICHAEL J PARTRIDGE

Broad View Road

Oulton Broad