‘Any further cuts will condemn this service to oblivion’ – Members of Parliament have backed the BDA’s latest call to reform NHS dentistry,
MPs backed a cross-party motion calling on government to set out an action plan to address the access and workforce crises.
In an open letter to the new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, BDA chair Eddie Crouch wrote: ‘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. ‘
This comes as further reports hit headlines detailing the desperation of patients.
A new report by the BBC says that people are waiting more than two years for an NHS appointment in Wales.
Health experts say 15,500 patients are now on its centralised waiting list. Ministers have insisted that changes to the contract has released around 112,000 new patient appointments.
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Fair funding
Shawn Charlwood is chair of the British Dental Association’s general dental practice committee.
He said: ‘MPs on both sides of the House have recognised the urgency here, but the government has yet to wake up.
‘Quick fixes and tinkering at the margins won’t save NHS dentistry. Our patients need to see fair funding and real reform.
‘Any further cuts will condemn this service to oblivion.’
The association notes that in his previous role as chair of parliament’s Health and Social Care Committee, Jeremy Hunt had been an advocate of reform in dentistry and a fully funded workforce plan for the NHS.
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