MINEHEAD and Tiverton MP Rachel Gilmour has called for an urgent reform of NHS dentistry with visits from adults ‘at their lowest’.
Recent statistics shared by the Liberal Democrats have revealed that only 34.7 per cent of adults in Devon and 32.2 per cent of adults in Somerset have seen a dentist in the last two years.
The House of Commons Library data shows the percentage of adults who have seen a dentist in the last two years is currently lower than during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are only 10 dental practices in Tiverton and Minehead which undertake NHS work, in addition to their private clients, and not all those practices are currently taking on new NHS patients.
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Following a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday (November 12), Mrs Gilmour raised the issue of poor NHS dentistry services in the constituency, affecting both children – where the statistics indicate that fewer than 50 per cent of children in the constituency have seen a dentist in the last two years – and adults.
The debate was called by Lib Dem Richard Foord MP, representing the neighbouring Honiton and Sidmouth constituency, who has been tireless in raising this issue in Parliament and elsewhere.
Mrs Gilmour (Lib Dem) said: “I have heard countless stories of desperate people in Tiverton and Minehead who cannot find an NHS dentist anywhere. If you live in Simonsbath in my constituency, the nearest NHS dentist taking on new patients may be in Barnstaple, on the far side of North Devon.
“NHS visits from adults in the last 2 years are at their lowest in many years, even lower than during the pandemic. We need a National Dental Rescue Package to bring more dentists back to the NHS from the private sector. We propose doing this by making amendments to the broken NHS dental contracts.
“We urge the government to also introduce an emergency scheme to make sure that dental care is in place for those who need it most.”
The House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee Report from 2023 stated: “NHS dentistry is facing a crisis of access, resulting in a decline in oral health. The Government needs to undertake urgent and fundamental reform if people are to receive the dental and oral healthcare they need. It is frustrating to have to return to recommendations made by our predecessor Committee fifteen years ago that still haven’t been implemented.”