Access to Dentistry: Somerset
Debate between Chris McDonald and Stephen Kinnock(2 days, 23 hours ago)
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The Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship again this morning, Mr Stuart. I thank the hon. Member for Frome and East Somerset (Anna Sabine) for securing this important debate on access to dentistry in Somerset.
We know that there are challenges in accessing NHS dentistry across the country, with some areas facing acute challenges. Put simply, too many people are struggling to find an NHS appointment. In the two years up to June 2024, just 31% of adults were seen by an NHS dentist in Somerset’s integrated care board, which covers the hon. Lady’s constituency, compared with 40% across England. In the year to June 2024, only 42% of children in Somerset ICB were seen by an NHS dentist, compared with 56% across England. The fact that the number of adults and children in Somerset ICB accessing an NHS dentist is even lower than the already struggling rate across England is concerning.
Somerset is facing significant workforce pressures, and there are not enough NHS dentists available to do the job. As of March 2024, there were 334 vacancies in the south-west for full-time equivalent NHS general dentists. The 29% vacancy rate is the highest of any English region.
It is a shocking fact that the No. 1 reason for children aged five to nine being admitted to hospital in our country is to have their teeth removed, with a primary diagnosis of tooth decay. It is a truly Dickensian state of affairs.
Chris McDonald (Stockton North) (Lab)
We have heard about the dental desert in Somerset. Stockton in my constituency has also been branded a dental desert. I welcome the 4,000 new appointments that the Government have granted for Stockton North and the surrounding area. However, given the urgency that he has described, particularly for children’s health, I ask the Minister whether the Government are taking any measures to accelerate the roll-out of those appointments.
Stephen Kinnock
We will absolutely ensure that integrated care boards are delivering to the target they have been set. If we see any evidence of slowing down or backsliding, we will certainly intervene to ensure that appointments are accelerated. I would also be more than happy to receive representations from my hon. Friend if he feels that performance in his ICB is not delivering.
The state of NHS dentistry in Somerset, and the nation as a whole, is simply unacceptable and it has to change.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Chris McDonald and Stephen Kinnock(5 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Stephen Kinnock
The hon. Gentleman has considerable expertise in this area, given his background. I would be happy to discuss that issue with him, but I remind him that although there may well be specific issues, there is a generic problem: the total and utter failure to ensure investment, reform and strategic thinking about our system.
Chris McDonald (Stockton North) (Lab)