NHS Dentistry: Rural Areas Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateSarah Dyke
Main Page: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat - Glastonbury and Somerton)Department Debates - View all Sarah Dyke's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
(2 days, 3 hours ago)
Commons ChamberI agree that dentistry has been failed over the past 14 years.
According to the House of Commons Library, 51,000 children have not seen a dentist in Wiltshire in the past year.
My constituent in Ilton is now in debt because they had to take their son, who is eligible for free NHS dentistry, to a private dentist, as they could not find an NHS dentist in the whole of Somerset. Sadly, that comes as no surprise, given that four in 10 children in Somerset have not been able to see a dentist this past year. Does my hon. Friend agree that dentists need to be encouraged back into the NHS by reforming the broken NHS dental contract?
I do agree with my hon. Friend, and I will mention that point later in my speech. It is no surprise to me that children in her constituency are having similar problems to children in my constituency.
According to NHS England, only 33% of adults under the NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire integrated care board have seen a dentist in the past two years. According to a freedom of information request by the British Dental Association, my local ICB’s projected dentistry underspend equates to £4.6 million.
When Hathaway closed its door to NHS patients last Friday, this was a major blow to my constituents.