Dentists have warned new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt that any further funding cuts ‘risks destroying’ NHS dentistry.
Yesterday saw Hunt announce a series of U-turns on the majority of tax cuts that were made by his predecessor, Kwasi Kwarteng.
Now, the British Dental Association (BDA) has written an open letter, asking Hunt to recognise the scale of the crisis.
‘We never imagined we would need to defend the wholly inadequate resources currently offered to us,’ the letter reads.
‘But it seems we must. However, the stark reality remains that sustainable investment is urgently required if we are going to bring this service back from the brink.
‘In your former role, we believe you recognised the scale of this crisis. NHS dentistry is already on the critical list. Any further cuts will kill the patient.’
No more fat to trim
BDA chair Eddie Crouch said: ‘Without fair funding for NHS dentistry, there was little scope to do more than rearrange the deckchairs as the ship goes down. New cuts will only speed that process along.
‘Since the financial crash, dentists have faced cuts with no parallel anywhere in the NHS. There is simply no more fat to trim, short of denying access to an even greater proportion of the population.
‘We never imagined we would need to defend the wholly inadequate resources currently offered to us. But it seems we must. However, the stark reality remains that sustainable investment is urgently required if we are going to bring this service back from the brink.
‘In his former role, the Chancellor recognised the scale of this crisis. NHS dentistry is already on the critical list. Any further cuts will kill the patient.’
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What does this mean for dentistry?
Linda Wallace is director of Wesleyan Financial Services. She believes the latest financial announcement will have a significant impact on retirement plans for dentists.
She said: ‘The emergency statement represents a bonfire of the controversial economic policies announced just weeks ago.
‘The reversal of the planned corporation tax cut snatches away a 6% saving on business profits, which would have helped to mitigate against rising operational costs.
‘At a time when we can confidently predict more interest rate increases piling further pressure on households and inflation at a record high, it’s going to be a tough winter for many.
‘We know that people are accessing savings and pensions to cover expenses. These can have a significant impact on future retirement plans.
‘That’s storing up problems for the future, so I’d urge anyone struggling to get financial advice.’
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