Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil O'Brien and Anthony Mangnall

Tuesday 6th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Anthony Mangnall (Totnes) (Con)]

12. When he plans to publish a dental recovery plan.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Neil O’Brien)]

Our dental plan will be out shortly. We are already taking steps to reform the contract. We have created more bands for units of dental activity, to better reflect the fair cost of work and to incentivise NHS work. We have introduced a minimum UDA value to sustain practice where it is low, allowing dentists to deliver 110% of their UDAs. As a result, the amount of dental activity being delivered is up by about a fifth on a year ago, but we know that we must go further.

[Anthony Mangnall]

I welcome the Minister’s response and his comments in a recent Westminster Hall debate. It is clear that there is still a problem, and many of us are still asking for the recovery plan to come forward. I am afraid that “soon” is not good enough. Nearly every single one of the NHS dentists in my constituency is either not taking on new patients or leaving the area. “Soon” needs a date. Can we have this plan either immediately or sooner?