A WORCESTER politician has launched a probe into the controversial closure of a dentists in St John's.

Councillor Alan Amos, who chairs a key health scrutiny body at Worcestershire County Council, has hit out at the sudden shutdown of St John's Dental Practice in Malvern Road.

As the Worcester News revealed two months ago, NHS bosses closed the site in May despite it being used by thousands of people.

NHS England decided to shut the doors after the contract on the site expired, sparking dismay.

Councillor Amos has now asked County Hall's health overview and scrutiny committee (HOSC) to do its own investigation into the move.

Councillor Amos said: "I've received a very large number of complaints about this and I share residents' concerns.

"I have already raised the matter and been briefed by NHS England on the decision and how it was carried out, and I now want to look into it in more detail.

"It reduces a fair geographical spread of dental practices around the city with complaints that most of the new places are up to two miles away and on the other side of the river.

"For many people - in particular the elderly - there will be great difficulty in getting to an alternative because there are no bus routes that go there, so this could seriously reduce accessibility.

"Dental attention is so important for prevention of later problems that being able to get to a dentist easily is most important for all age groups."

The focus of the HOSC inquiry will be to seek what lessons can be learned 'for other dental practices across the county'.

It is expected to get underway this autumn and then deliver its findings before the end of the year.

David Williams, NHS England’s lead director for primary care in the West Midlands, said patients would not be left without a service.

"We have increased capacity in other local practices to take on all the patients from St John’s Dental Practice," he said.

"No-one will be left without access to a local dentist as a result of this closure."

The Malvern Road site's closure announcement was made in the middle of April, around five weeks before it shut down.

At the time Worcester MP Robin Walker also got involved, passing on his concerns to NHS England.