Tuesday May 5th 2026
The new partnership centre in Ash Grove, Blackburn has space for a dental surgery but has been unable to open one since the centre opened in 2018. The former GP surgery to the right has been vandalised as awaits transformation into shop units.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
A West Lothian town may soon have its own dental practice – eight years after the purpose-built surgery opened.
Blackburn residents have had to travel elsewhere – the nearest surgeries are in Bathgate – despite brand new facilities available in the local Partnership Centre.
NHS Lothian has struggled to find a dentist – a search made more difficult by the Covid pandemic – to lease the space. The move comes two years after the then local councillor raised concerns.
The new contract tender notes: “NHS Lothian is seeking expressions of interest from any parties interested in leasing the space for dental premises in Blackburn Partnership Centre.
“The Blackburn Partnership Centre serves a geographical area that includes both Blackburn and Seafield with a combined population of around 8,000.
“Both areas have growing populations and areas of deprivation. There are some complex issues associated with this high level of deprivation including low education and employment levels, poor health and life expectancy.
“The medical practice within the Blackburn Partnership Centre currently has around 7,800 registered patients and the catchment area for a dental practice, over and above Blackburn itself, has the potential to include Seafield, East Whitburn and Wester Inch.”
The local MP Kistreen Sullivan was the ward councillor for Blackburn when she first raised the issue in May 2024.
As the Local Democracy Reporting Service highlighted in 2024: “A dental surgery space has yet to see its first patient or even dentist in a West Lothian village, six years after it opened.”
At the time Councillor Sullivan said: “despite space set aside, a dental practice has never been secured at the centre, leaving local residents to travel out with the village to Bathgate, Whitburn and beyond to access vital dental services.
Councillor Sullivan said that, “with a dedicated space in the heart of the community Blackburn residents should have access to a dentist within the village”.
She added: “The council understands that the process for securing a dental practice has been delayed for various reasons including the Covid 19 pandemic.”
A motion raised by the then councillor was passed by the council.
The NHS Tender document has a deadline of a week’s time – Tuesday, 12 May.
It adds: “In West Lothian the Public Dental Service covers unscheduled care out of hours, special care and paediatrics from Howden Health Centre and St John’s Hospital.
“NHS Lothian wishes to select a general dental practitioner partner to lease this space with the capacity and capability to meet the needs of patients by delivering high quality, patient-centred clinical services in a primary care setting, in accordance with the requirements below.
“It will be important the Applicants involved in the planning and/or delivery of existing services can demonstrate that they have sufficient capacity so as not to prejudice delivery of general dental services under any other contract an Applicant may have with NHS Lothian or another Health Board or the ability of NHS Lothian itself to deliver services.”
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