Dental recovery plan report
A pledge to provide an extra 1.5m NHS dental treatments in England this year is “in disarray” according to the report amid falls in both the number of dentists doing NHS work and people receiving care from them. And even if this goal was reached, it would still be 2.6 million fewer treatments per year than pre-pandemic levels, the NAO said.
Healthwatch England have provided the below comment about the state of NHS dentistry and in response to the NAO’s findings. It has been featured in some national media, including the Guardian, BBC News, Daily Telegraph, the Independent, and many more.
Healthwatch England Chief Executive Louise Ansari said:
“These findings underline the deplorable state of NHS dentistry. The difficulty of getting NHS dental treatment is one of the public’s biggest concerns about the healthcare system generally and is a crisis that dental leaders have estimated is denying 13 million people access to NHS appointments.”
Additionally, an investigation carried out by the BDA and Daily Mirror suggests 96% of dental practices are not accepting new NHS adult patients and at least one in 10 constituencies in England do not have a single practice taking people on.
The article, published yesterday, mentions our latest research and a call for GP-style NHS dentistry.
