AN MP is demanding Prime Minister Liz Truss deliver on her promise to tackle the NHS dentistry crisis in her first three months in office – to ensure his constituents can get the access they need.
Shipley MP Philip Davies said anyone wanting to access a good local NHS dentist should be able to do so and no one should be forced to pay for private dental treatment because they cannot get on an NHS list.
Mr Davies said: “Access to NHS dentistry is one of the recurring problems we all see as MPs up and down the country. The pandemic exacerbated the problem and access to NHS dentistry or wait times for an appointment are now significantly longer. This is not an issue that is going away and I want to see action from the new Prime Minister – as she promised – to ensure my constituents can get the healthcare they deserve. No one should be left to suffer in pain because they cannot access appropriate help.”
It is thought many patients are resorting to DIY dentistry or turning to other areas of the NHS for support such as GPs or A&E because they cannot get an appointment with an NHS dentist.
Mr Davies is one of a cross-group of MPs who have written to the Prime Minister calling for action.
The MPs said: “This is now clearly part of the wider cost of living crisis. Those who can afford to access help privately will do so, while those who can’t, will be forced to do without.
“As dentists across the country are increasingly reducing their NHS commitment or quitting the service altogether, this problem will only get worse and inequalities will continue to widen unless urgent and decisive action is taken.”
The MPs said along with a financial injection, training and recruitment could be part of the solution but tackling staff retention was vital.
Many dentists are not taking on new NHS patients with recent research showing nine in ten practices in England had closed their books to new patients.
The MPs added: “We fear failure to take swift and meaningful action now would mean the end of NHS dentistry as we know it. We hope you (Liz Truss) deliver on your campaign pledges and act with urgency and ambition to bring forward the change millions of our constituents desperately need.