NHS Dentistry: Recovery and Reform Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Paulette Hamilton
Main Page: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)Department Debates - View all Paulette Hamilton's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
NHS Dentistry: Recovery and Reform
Paulette Hamilton Excerpts(3 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Victoria Atkins
May I thank my hon. Friend for all the work she did in the Department and has done on this subject? We are taking a long-term view with training dentists. As I said, last year, through the long-term workforce plan, we set out an ambition to train up to 40% more dentists by 2031. As we also begin the consultation on a tie-in with those graduates, we are confident that we will see a greater supply of dentists to our NHS services.
Mrs Paulette Hamilton (Birmingham, Erdington) (Lab)
The £200 million pledged today is less than half last year’s record-breaking underspend. The plan says that any underspends will be ringfenced for dentistry. That was promised by a Minister last year, but it did not happen because integrated care boards were using that underspend. Why should the 73% of dentists in the west midlands who cannot and are not accepting any new patients believe it will be any different this year?