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
NHS dental crisis ‘a kick in the teeth’ for families says Helen
11 Jul 2023
Helen Morgan spoke in the House of Commons earlier this week to press Health Secretary Steve Barclay on the need for more rural NHS dentists in areas like Shropshire.
This followed warnings from the MP that many in Shropshire have been undertaking dangerous ‘DIY dentistry’ due to the length of waiting times, inaccessibility of NHS services, and high costs of pursuing private care.
Recent House of Commons Library data revealed by the MP showed that in North Shropshire, only a third of adults were seen by a dentist in the last two years, a rate dramatically falling year on year. In the same time period, only half of all children were seen.
Helen Morgan MP said, “There is a crisis in accessing NHS dental services in Shropshire, which is coming as a kick in the teeth to families forced to shell out and go private or continue suffering without the care they need.
“I stood up in the Commons yesterday to speak up for rural people and called on the Secretary of State to get a hold of the problem. We need a cast-iron guarantee that rural areas like Shropshire will continue to have access to NHS dental provision.
“This issue is not going away any time soon – the Government need to act.”
Transcript of Helen's question:
Helen Morgan MP asked Secretary of State Steve Barclay MP:
“What progress has his Department has made on improving access to NHS dentists in North Shropshire?”
“In North Shropshire, the number of adults seen by a dentist between 2019 and 2022 has fallen by over 10%, from 47.5% to 35.4%. The number of children seen by a dentist in that time period has fallen about 10%, from 59% to 49.8%.
“Constituents also report not being able to access the dentist and being turned away from their NHS dentists as they seek to take on only private work.
“Can the Secretary of State reassure me that he's taking steps to ensure that dentists in rural areas will continue to provide NHS services? Because this is a health care problem which is going to continue into the future.”
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