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Daily Mirror
14-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Wes Streeting defends only paying for half the population to get an NHS dentist
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has defended why the Government is only paying for half the population of England to get an NHS dentist. MPs on the Health Committee grilled Mr Streeting on whether he would 'reconsider' a decision to stick with similar funding for dentistry that Labour inherited from the previous Tory government. The current £3 billion budget for England is only enough to fund care for half the population. The committee has previously heard that the budget has fallen from £3.6 billion in a decade and the British Dental Association said this equates to a funding cut of a third in real terms. Mr Streeting said: 'There is a constant tension between the level of ambition we have as a Government, the level of demand put on us by Parliament and the public, and the choices and trade-offs that we face. We are trying to deal with an NHS that has such a breadth and depth of challenges.' At this point acting committee chair Paulette Hamilton, Labour MP for Birmingham Erdington, intervened to say: 'Let me stop you there, because you could talk for another five minutes and I haven't got five minutes, will you reconsider this [funding] decision?' Mr Streeting replied: 'It is something we are constantly under pressure from Parliament and the public about, and we will do as much as we can as fast as we can on the NHS dentistry.' Before the 2024 General Election Labour promised to reform the 'flawed' NHS dental payment contract which leaves dentists making a loss treating patients who need most care. It pays dentists the same if a patient needs three fillings as if a patient needs 20 fillings. It has caused an exodus of NHS dentists to the private sector and means dental practices are no longer taking on new NHS patients. However this contract reform will depend on the overall funding settlement. An earlier committee hearing heard that dentistry got 3.3% of the NHS budget for England in 2010, but it is now down to 1.5%. Evidence by dentistry minister Stephen Kinnock at a previous hearing suggested the Treasury is refusing to fund radical reform and any new contract will likely recycle current "underspends" where dentists have to return cash due to the flawed contract. Last year the British Dental Association said there was £400 million underspend - much of which was quietly being syphoned off to other areas of the NHS. This underspend occurs because money is clawed back from struggling dental practices who do not hit treatment targets, usually due to lack of staff. The NHS contract pays the practice for each Unit of Dental Activity - known as a UDA. A check-up is worth one UDA while a filling is worth three. On the other hand, if an NHS dentist treats more patients than their target then they receive no payment for it - effectively capping the numbers able to access a dentist. More than 12 million people were unable to access NHS dental care last year – more than 1 in 4 adults in England. At the same time 90% of dental practices are no longer accepting new NHS adult patients. Data from the House of Commons Library showed 40% of children didn't have their recommended annual check-up last year. The UK spends the smallest proportion of its heath budget on dental care of any European nation. Government spending on dental services in England was cut by a quarter in real terms between 2010 and 2020. The number of NHS dentists is down by more than 500 to 24,151 since the pandemic. A Parliamentary report by the Health Select Committee has branded the current NHS dentists' contracts as 'not fit for purpose' and described the state of the service as "unacceptable in the 21st century". The system effectively sets quotas on the maximum number of NHS patients a dentist can see as it caps the number of procedures they can perform each year. Dentists also get paid the same for delivering three or 20 fillings, often leaving them out of pocket. The system should be changed so it enables dentists to treat on the basis of patient need. Wes Streeting said: 'The first thing we could do is make sure that we're making the most of the money that's already going in it. In opposition we complained a lot about the dentistry 'underspend'... but we know that fundamental long term reform is needed.' Britain has the lowest ratio of dentists per capita of any country in the G7. Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association, said: 'The sort of sums required to 'transform' dentistry are lost down the back of the sofa in the NHS in any given month. Restoring care to millions and consigning 'DIY' dentistry back to the Victorian era won't break the bank. But they will require sustainable investment."
Daily Mirror
13-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Millions with 'unmet need' give up even trying for NHS dentist appointment
NHS polling suggests 14 million people in England are living with an 'unmet need' but are unable to get an NHS dentist More people are giving up even trying to get a dental appointment amid the ongoing NHS access crisis. More than a quarter of the adult population in England have an 'unmet need' for dentistry and are unable to access an NHS dentist according to the GP Patient Survey 2025. Analysis by the British Dental Association (BDA) shows that within this, some 5.9 million people have given up trying, saying 'I didn't think I could get an NHS dentist'. It suggests an increase of 550,000 people giving up when compared to 2024. BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said: 'We'll never make the shift from sickness to prevention when millions have given up even trying to access care.' READ MORE: Dentist being fined £150K by NHS for keeping patients' teeth too healthy The Government has made 'from sickness to prevention' one of the three key pillars of its NHS reform plans. The latest annual primary care survey of 700,000 patients suggests unmet need for NHS dentistry remains at an all-time high of £13.8 million of the population of England. Within this 5.7 million had tried and failed to get an appointment with an NHS dentist. Some 1.3 million were unable to access care because NHS dental charges were too expensive for them. The survey suggests 880,000 were on a waiting list for an NHS dentist. It comes after dentistry minister Stephen Kinnock vowed to revamp the NHS dental contract during this parliament. The contract is blamed by many for the current crisis which means most dentists are no longer taking on new NHS patients. It has been branded 'not fit for purpose' by the Health Committee and 'perverse' by the British Dental Association, as it disincentivises treating people who need care most. Dentists make a financial loss on high-needs patients. Contract reform is a key demand of the Mirror 's Dentists for All campaign and it comes a week after a series of special reports last week from Devon which is one of Britain's worst 'dentistry deserts'. However minister Kinnock admitted during evidence before the Health Committee this week that overall funding for NHS dentistry was unlikely to be substantially increased. The current £3 billion budget for England is only enough to fund care for half the population. The committee heard that the budget for England has fallen from £3.6 billion in a decade and the British Dental Association said it has meant a funding cut of a third in real terms. Eddie Crouch added: 'Our patients continue to face an historic crisis, that requires a proportionate response from government. 'Ministers agree that NHS dentistry is at death's door. But they don't appear ready yet to invest in the rebuild. It will take both urgency and ambition to save NHS dentistry.' A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'We inherited a broken NHS dental system and have begun fixing it, including 700,000 urgent appointments and supervised toothbrushing for young children in deprived areas. Our 10 Year Health Plan will transform dentistry. New reforms to the dental contract will prioritise those with urgent and complex needs, with new measures for those with extreme tooth decay and gum disease. 'We are also committed to fundamentally reforming the dental contract by the end of this parliament and ensuring NHS-trained dentists stay in the system for a minimum period '
Daily Mirror
07-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'I called NHS dentists for 7 years but couldn't get in, so pulled my teeth out'
NHS dental crisis left Linda Colla having to pull out her last three teeth after being unable to get an NHS dentist for seven years [warning graphic video] A desperate pensioner pulled out her last three teeth because she was unable to get an NHS dentist. Linda Colla, 76, had been calling around practices for seven years trying to get an appointment but has just been stuck on waiting lists. The Mirror visited Linda in Devon as part of a series of special reports from one of Britain's worst dentistry deserts. The British Dental Association has demanded that Labour urgently reforms the NHS dental contract to end the 'horror show'. Local MP Caroline Voaden told the Mirror that not a single dentist in South Devon is now taking on new NHS patients. Linda, a retired charity manager who receives pension credit, said: 'My gums were all inflamed and were so painful I could only eat baby food and soup. I couldn't eat anything solid. In the end I just pulled my teeth out. I just kept wiggling it and wiggling it until it came out. When I went through childbirth with my daughter they always told me I had a high pain threshold.' Without the three teeth to anchor it, Linda's lower denture plate wouldn't fit. She eventually found the money to pay a private dentist £200 to fit a new one. The mother-of-two said: 'My plate had to be adapted to have the three teeth put in but that cost me £200 which was my week's pension gone in one fell swoop. 'I'm a pensioner and I should have free NHS dental treatment but I can't get it, despite all the years I've paid into the NHS through taxes and National Insurance contributions. 'Let's face it, if you paid into an insurance company and then when you needed them they didn't deliver then there would be hell to pay. But that is what the government is doing. READ MORE: 'I pulled my own tooth out with a pipe wrench because of the unbearable toothache' 'Now I'm in a situation now where at the moment my dentures aren't too bad but at some point I've either got to have them realigned or replaced. I'm going to have to find £1,500 for dentures and I'm on pension credit - one of the poorest people in the country so they tell me - I can't afford that. And I shouldn't have to go into debt to see a dentist.' A number of different question responses in last year's GP Patient Survey suggested Devon is one of the places in the country where it is hardest to get an appointment with an NHS dentist. Linda said: 'It's the most awful thing because your face is what you present to people. When you lose your teeth, you're losing a heck of a lot of self-confidence. My self-confidence went down the plughole. So I do worry for all the children that are losing their teeth. When they start off with bad oral health that is going to dog them for the rest of their lives.' After a decade of real terms funding cuts under the Tories the £3 billion NHS dental budget for England is now only enough to treat around half of the population. Linda said: 'There's not the budget for dentists to be able to take on more on the NHS, this is what I was told. They can't work for nothing. I must have called about a dozen NHS dentists and I'm willing to travel 20 miles but I can't get in anywhere. I could afford to go private I'd get a dentist tomorrow.' Caroline Voaden, Lib Dem MP for South Devon, told the Mirror: 'Scarily, stories like Linda's are not rare – with not a single dentist in South Devon taking on NHS patients. Urgent action is needed to attract and reward dentists who practise in less-served areas.' The British Dental Association warned the Public Accounts Committee earlier this year that the Treasury has become reliant on practices delivering care at a loss - fuelling an exodus of NHS dentists into lucrative private work. Caroline Voaden MP added: 'Remuneration is one part of this, but we should also explore a contract that gives dentists greater flexibility, reduces red tape, and promotes the kind of work-life balance that mirrors what they find in the private sector. 'The sad truth is that this Government has been in office for a year now and has often spoken about reforming the NHS dental contract. But in the same period, South Devon has lost three dental surgeries, and more are on the brink. While the Government weighs its options, this crisis is deepening.' Last week the Government published its Ten Year Health Plan which pledged that "by 2035 the NHS dental system will be transformed" - but the British Dental Association insists contract reform must happen much sooner. READ MORE: Keir Starmer's plan to 'rewire' NHS explained – why you won't have to go to hospital The professional body estimates a typical practice loses over £40 delivering a set of NHS dentures and £7 for every new patient exam. A Parliamentary report by the Health Select Committee has described the state of NHS dentistry as "unacceptable in the 21st century". The NHS contract effectively sets quotas on the maximum number of NHS patients a dentist can see as it caps the number of procedures they can perform each year. BDA chair Eddie Crouch said: 'The crisis in NHS dentistry was made in Westminster. A failed contract has left patients taking matters into their own hands, or flying abroad for care that should be available in their own backyard. We can end this horror show, but we need to see real urgency and ambition.' Dentists for All campaign Save NHS Dentistry petition Sign our petition to save NHS dentistry and make it fit for the 21st century Our 3 demands Everyone should have access to an NHS dentist More than 12 million people were unable to access NHS dental care last year – more than 1 in 4 adults in England. At the same time 90% of dental practices are no longer accepting new NHS adult patients. Data from the House of Commons Library showed 40% of children didn't have their recommended annual check-up last year. Restore funding for dental services and recruit more NHS dentists The UK spends the smallest proportion of its heath budget on dental care of any European nation. Government spending on dental services in England was cut by a quarter in real terms between 2010 and 2020. The number of NHS dentists is down by more than 500 to 24,151 since the pandemic. Change the contracts A Parliamentary report by the Health Select Committee has branded the current NHS dentists' contracts as 'not fit for purpose' and described the state of the service as "unacceptable in the 21st century". The system effectively sets quotas on the maximum number of NHS patients a dentist can see as it caps the number of procedures they can perform each year. Dentists also get paid the same for delivering three or 20 fillings, often leaving them out of pocket. The system should be changed so it enables dentists to treat on the basis of patient need. Have you had to resort to drastic measures because you couldn't access an NHS dentist? Are you a parent struggling to get an appointment for a child? Email or call 0800 282591 The Government is rolling out 700,000 extra emergency dental appointments and bringing in supervising toothbrushing for three to five year olds in the most deprived areas of the country. It is currently in negotiations with the British Dental Association about reforming the NHS dental contract.
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Health secretary won't give timing for dental contract reform
The health secretary has refused to set out a timetable to fulfil one of Labour's main manifesto election promises on the part of the election campaign, the government had said it would reform the dental contract - the framework which pays NHS beginning talks with the British Dental Association (BDA) a year ago, Wes Streeting told the BBC during a visit to Bedfordshire that "unless I am 100% certain I can achieve the promise, I don't make it".Pam Widdison, from Norfolk, said she was in pain for months because she did not have an NHS dentist and was "sick of MPs promising the earth" then failing to deliver. The dental contract was recently highlighted by the Public Accounts Committee as one of the main reasons for the NHS dentistry access crisisSpeaking on a visit to a GP surgery in Leighton Buzzard, Streeting told the BBC he was "hesitant to make specific promises about dates and deadlines" unless he knew he could fulfil them."There's one thing that is in even shorter supply than dentists and money in this country and that's trust in politicians," he government's newly published 10-year health plan said by 2035 a new dental contract would be at the heart of a "transformed" NHS Streeting said in the short term it would concentrate efforts on creating urgent dental appointments for people without a dentist and rolling out tooth brushing in stressed that the NHS was the "standout" winner in the recent spending review, giving the health department "a bit of extra capacity".But he admitted the situation was "challenging" and said he was looking at existing budgets to see how he could release money that was being "wasted".To reduce what it called "bureaucracy", the government has decided to abolish NHS England. Forty-two integrated care boards across the country have also been told to reduce their running costs by 50% by the end of the year and thousands of support roles are going at NHS trusts including hospitals. Counties such as Norfolk have been labelled "dental deserts" because of the shortage of NHS Widdison, a retired teacher from Watton, said she was in pain for seven months. She managed to get an emergency appointment for a tooth extraction but had to travel 20 miles to King's Lynn and still did not have an NHS dentist. "It's a two-tier system in this country," she said. "I'm sick of MP's promising us the earth... why should we have to suffer? We've got an increased population where I live, there should be equality of care. "I do not want anyone to experience what I have been through."She said she believed dentistry was a "vital infrastructure" and could not understand why the NHS was paying for weight loss injections while her town did not have an NHS dentist. To improve access, the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich has been lobbying for the first dental training school in the east of for medicine, Prof Philip Baker, admitted it would not solve everything overnight but would be "one contributor to really make a difference". The nearest dental school to Norwich is 100 miles away in London. The UEA had its course approved by the General Dental Council but needed the government to rubber-stamp its 10-year-plan said that newly-qualified dentists could be required to practice in the NHS for a minimum period of three Baker said the UEA would do all it could to convince trainees to stay in the NHS permanently."Our dental graduates will understand the needs of their communities, understand how important having an NHS dental service is to the region."I guess we really want to instil that pride and that loyalty to the community."Streeting said he "would consider the case very carefully." Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.
Daily Mail
27-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
How plaque and gum disease can lead to dementia: As doctors unveil startling research, experts reveal ultimate guide to the brushes, floss and toothpaste that really work to keep you healthy
If eyes are the window to the soul, then the mouth is a portal to the mind, according to the British Dental Association. 'There's emerging evidence that poor oral health – plaque formation, gum disease and tooth loss – is a risk factor for dementia, including Alzheimer's disease,' says Eddie Crouch, the association's chair. A slew of recent research suggests that what happens in your mouth can have wider health implications. Several large studies have discovered links between periodontitis (that's chronic gum disease to you and me) and an increased risk of cognitive decline.
