Save the NHS Dentist provision

I have tried unsuccessfully to bring to the public domain, the mismanagement of the NHS Dental Services. I had some personal emails from friends and colleagues responding to my own situation having lost our local dental services without any forward notice. One day, 3 weeks ago, we were NHS patients in Genix our local Dentist service, in Alnwick, to receive an abrupt message to say we cannot to continue unless we had to change to Private Practice. I contacted the Local Authority Northumberland County Council the Northumberland HealthWatchOrganisation without any success. Our local Tory MP did not respond to our plea for help.
I was tipped off that there was a Parliament Backbench Business debate last week on Thursday April 23rd.
13 years of Tory mismanagement of the health service has seeing dentists quitting in droves. 2,000 dentists quit the NHS in 2021, around 10% of all dentists employed in England.
An estimated 4 million people can’t access NHS care and with some parts of the country now described as ‘dentistry deserts’, because remaining NHS dentists aren’t taking on new patients.
In real terms, net Government spend on general dental practices in England has been cut by over a third over the past decade, with the number of NHS dental practices in England falling by more than 1,200 in the five years prior to the pandemic.
Labour will put patients first and make sure they can be seen on time.
The last Labour government reduced waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks. The next Labour government will secure the future of NHS dentistry, providing the staff, equipment and modern technology needed to ensure patients get the treatment they need.
Interventions
We spend less on dentistry per head of population in the areas with the highest levels of deprivation, and stats from the BDA suggest that 1 million new or expectant mothers have lost access to dental care since the start of the pandemic. What is the Government doing to prevent those from low income or vulnerable groups being disproportionately impacted?
Tooth extraction in hospitals due tooth decay remains the most common reason for hospital admissions in the 6–10-year-old age group, with an estimated cost of hospital admissions for children aged 0 to 19-years for this intervention being £33 million per year. Does the minister agree that this is utterly shameful?
With 91% of dental practices not able to accept new adult patients in England, and 80% not able to accept new child patients, millions are facing the unpalatable options of waiting for months in agony, resorting to DIY dentistry or coughing up private dental fees they simply can’t afford. What is the Minister doing to tackle the crisis in dentistry? From inadequate support for prevention of oral ill health in childhood to dentistry deserts, net Government spend on general dental practices in England has been cut by over a third over the past decade. Can the Minister explain why his government have let things get so bad?
Not enough has been done to recruit and retain both dentists and dental care professionals and a recent BDA member survey showed more than 9 in 10 owners of dental practices with a high NHS commitment found it difficult to recruit a dentist, with 43% of vacancies unfilled for more than 6 months. Can the Minister explain why the Government have so far failed to publish the NHS workforce plan?
Can this matter not be of national concern like previous petitions from 38 degrees regarding the Tory Government recently, especially the Health Minister!
We need your help to raise the dire awareness of the current NHS Dental Provision?