NHS dentistry bites the dust in North Devon – Ian Roome

North Devon is facing a dental crisis with many people simply unable to find a dentist who takes on new patients.

Just last week, Whitehall Dental Practice in South Molton announced it would no longer be taking NHS patients. Meanwhile, our MP has started a petition on this issue. A petition to fix the bonkers system put in place by her government! Does she have that little influence at Westminster?

Of the 17 dental practices open in North Devon and Torridge, 14 are not accepting new NHS patients and a further three are only taking NHS patients referred from other dental practices.

My dentist has a waiting list of 600 people. Many of whom will never be seen.

Figures published in July by the British Dental Association showed that more than 12 million people are unable to access dentistry through the NHS. The number is almost three times the total before the pandemic.

The end result of this is that people are either paying to go private, during a cost of living crisis, or turning to risky DIY dentistry.

The government cannot allow this painful crisis to continue. Thousands of North Devon residents, including many children, are getting frustrated in this dental desert.

The Conservative Government is happy to take our taxes to pay for dentistry, but where is that money going? People in North Devon are once again being taken for granted.

Our plan for NHS dentistry is to reform and increase funding for NHS dental contracts. It is not currently a viable option for many dental practices.

This will prompt dentists to face NHS patients and the era of ‘dental deserts’. We need to start thinking long term and increase the number of training places for dentists in the South West. It takes five years to train a dentist.

The people most affected by this crisis are those with lower incomes and children, especially those who need orthodontic treatments, such as

The government needs to pull its finger to ensure that people who have paid for NHS dental care, which is every family in North Devon, are able to get the treatments they have already paid for.

We need ministers to check and act quickly to stop the breakdown of dental services – starting with meaningful reform of NHS dental contracts to increase appointments and ensure work pays dentists fairly right.

What we need is a dental center in North Devon, incorporating Petroc and Plymouth’s Peninsula University Dental School. Let’s see if we can turn this disaster into real opportunity for the youth of the area.

Written by Ian Roome, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for North Devon