NHS dentistry provision under fire
Less than half of UK dentists are able to offer unregistered patients an emergency appointment on the NHS, new research has shown.
And less than eight per cent were able to offer an appointment within the next 24 hours when contacted by the consumer group Which?
The research, which coincides with the start of the British Dental Association’s annual conference, found that one in ten dentists could offer an NHS appointment but not within 24 hours, and three in ten said they could only offer a private appointment.
Which? says the research gives lie to Tony Blair’s pledge in 1999 that everyone would be able to have access to an NHS dentist
More than half of the people – about more than four million – who tried to register with an NHS dentist in the last two years found it difficult, the consumer group said.
It is estimated only one in four adults in England and Wales are registered with a NHS dentist.
“Unless these issues are tackled properly there’s a danger that people up and down the country will be left in pain or their general health seriously threatened,” warned Frances Blunden, health adviser at Which?.
However, health minister Rosie Winterton said much was being done to address the problem, adding: “All primary care trusts have action plans to enable more people to see an NHS dentist.”
John Renshaw, chair of the British Dental Association, said dentistry was chronically underfunded, understaffed, and plainly in “crisis”.
“While spending on the NHS overall has increased by 75 per cent over the past 15 years, spending on NHS dentistry has increased by just nine per cent,” he said.
“With this chronic under-investment, alongside a shortage of about 3,000 dentists nationwide, it’s hardly surprising that patients are experiencing such difficulty in accessing NHS care.”
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Steve Webb said the report provided further evidence of Labour’s “failure” to guarantee nationwide access to NHS dentistry.
“Less than half the adults in England and Wales are currently registered with an NHS dentist, and this number has fallen significantly under this Government,” he said.
“Urgent action is needed to prevent NHS dentistry becoming a thing of the past.”
Which? is calling for new contract arrangements to allow dentists to make a long term commitment to the NHS, affordable NHS charges, and a ring fencing of money earmarked for spending on NHS dentistry.
