- Dentists incentivized for NHS patients
- £200 million dental investment
- Mobile teams treat schoolchildren
The government is preparing to dispatch teams to schools to treat children’s teeth and offer dentists monetary incentives in exchange for accepting more NHS patients.
Dentists will be rewarded with a “bonus” for accepting more NHS patients.
Additionally, up to 240 dentists will receive £20,000 to practise in underserved areas for three years.
A plan will also be implemented to combat dental caries among young children.
Ministers are preparing to unveil the details of the “dental recovery plan” on Wednesday.
However, the health department inadvertently sent details to MPs from all parties earlier.
Although the email is dated tomorrow, it’s uncertain if its contents will match exactly the announcement on Wednesday.
£200 Million Boost for NHS Dentistry
The email highlights a £200 million investment in dentistry, including a “bonus” scheme that “supports dentists in accepting new NHS patients.”
Dentists will receive “golden hello” payments to work in underserved areas; by year’s end, 240 dentists will have been offered £20,000 to practise in parts of England with the fewest dentists.
Through a programme specifically for nurseries, children in the reception age group will be encouraged to prevent dental decay from a young age as part of the “smile for life” initiative.
In areas known as “dental deserts,” mobile dental teams will provide fluoride varnish treatments to over 165,000 pupils.
This follows Labour’s pledge to ensure children aged three to five brush their teeth under supervision.
Additionally, the party has previously committed to encouraging new dentists to work in areas of greatest need.
NHS Dentistry Crisis Exposed
This week, the state of NHS dentistry was highlighted as hundreds queued outside a new dental practice in Bristol to register as NHS patients.
Nine out of 10 UK NHS dental practices declined new adult patients in 2022.
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People have resorted to driving hundreds of miles for treatment, extracting their own teeth without anaesthesia, or making their own makeshift dentures due to the scarcity of NHS appointments.
Shadow health minister Wes Streeting said: “Patients are desperately queuing to see a dentist, literally pulling their own teeth out.” He added, “Tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 6 to 10.” This is the result of 14 years of Conservative neglect.
“The only time the Conservatives have pledged to act is in the run-up to the election.” By adopting Labour’s recruitment and supervised toothbrushing proposals, they are effectively admitting their lack of original ideas.
Daisy Cooper, the health spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, said, “This plan is too little, too late for the children who have been hospitalised due to tooth decay or who are left in agony waiting for dental care.”
