A BID has been made for an NHS dentist which would serve the people of Callington, Gunnislake and Calstock. Callington, Torpoint and Saltash have all been highlighted as locations for a new practice by members of Caradon District Council. The authority is hoping to get enough units of dental administration from the NHS to set up a practice after which it will have to decide which town out of the three is the priority. The units are based on population. District councilllor for Calstock, Margaret Allen, who has made the bid for Callington, said there was no dentist at all in Gunnislake or Calstock. Cllr Allen said: ?There are a lot of people who are very much on the poverty line and should have access to an NHS dentist. ?Unfortunately, the parish is too small to fit the criteria but Callington is not, so I am hoping we can get something next to the health centre which could then be used by residents of Gunnislake and Calstock as well.? Mrs Allen said at the moment, people living in her ward only had access to an NHS dentist in Liskeard ? but that was ?two bus journeys away?. ?I want to put Gunnislake and Calstock on the map now before Cornwall goes to a unitary authority because whatever is in the pipeline has be to continued,? she said. She said she feared that under the new ?one council for Cornwall? all the money would be going west of Truro.
