Helen Morgan criticises government for lack of plan over dental crisis
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has criticised the Government for failing to address the crisis in NHS dental care.
10 Nov 2023
Helen's dentistry campaign continues with visit to local practice
11 Aug 2023
Helen Morgan’s campaign for improved rural dentistry has continued with a visit to a local practice in North Shropshire.
Helen is calling on the Government to make urgent changes to NHS dental contracts to make sure that everyone in Shropshire, and across the country, can access the dental care they need.
NHS figures show less than half of children and only one in three adults in Shropshire were seen by a dentist last year.
Helen met with dentists and nurses at Green End Dental in Whitchurch to discuss the challenges with providing healthcare in a rural setting like North Shropshire and Helen’s ongoing campaign for better access to dental care.
Helen recently put out a call to North Shropshire constituents asking for experiences of accessing NHS dental care in the county. She has already received over 100 replies, with many sharing stories of long waits and struggles to find anywhere accepting new NHS patients.
Helen says poor dental contracts are ‘at the root of the problem’ and has written directly to the Health Secretary to urge him to take action to recruit and retain NHS dentists in rural areas.
Helen Morgan MP said, “We need more dentists in Shropshire and it was really helpful to visit Green End Dental in Whitchurch to learn more about the challenges impacting rural practices and what needs to be done to improve the situation.
“If we want to attract dentists to Shropshire and improve NHS care it is clear that improving contracts would help address things at the root of the problem. That’s why I want the Government to reform NHS contracts and get more dentists to rural areas.
“Since putting out a call for residents to share their experiences, I have had well over 100 replies and heard some troubling stories that we really don’t want to see repeated. There is a crisis in care in Shropshire and there needs to be action to address this.”
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