Survey shows it is increasingly difficult to get treatment on the NHS

Alastair Mitton outside the South Ealing Dental Practice

June 1, 2023

A recently held survey is suggesting that the local area is becoming an area which is a so-called ‘dentistry desert’ where it is increasingly difficult to find treatment on the NHS.

The research was undertaken by Alastair Mitton who is the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Ealing Central and Acton.

He found that just 11% of all dentists in the constituency were accepting new NHS patients and over 60% of those dentists which hold NHS contracts weren’t registering new applicants.

Two thirds of dental practices in the area are exclusively private.

The research comes at a time when reportedly tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions in young children and Mr Mitton says his figures raise fears that this will only get worse.

He adds, “This local research, which involved calling every dental practice in the constituency and on the borders proves that we urgently need to increase funding to the sector and to reform the NHS dental contract to ensure that it encourages dentists to take on new NHS patients. Liberal Democrats say we also need to urgently increase the number of dentist training places and continue to recognise EU trained dentists’ qualifications.”

“Everyone should be able to access an NHS dentist when they need one, no one should be forced to face an impossible choice between paying hundreds of pounds for private care or going without treatment and enduring unbelievable agony. This Conservative government has utterly failed to get on top of the problem despite an estimated 3,000 dentists stopping NHS work in the last 3 years.”

The apparent crisis in the provision of NHS dentistry, particularly in London, has been blamed on the structure of the payment contracts set up by the government. This has had the effect of increasing the numbers withdrawing care to NHS patients.

A recent enquiry by a parliamentary select committee was told that some people are pulling their own teeth out in desperation.

Research by the BBC over last summer confirmed Mr Mitton’s data indicating that nine out of ten practices in England are unable to take on new adult NHS patients.

The Health and Social Care Committee launched a probe into how the current NHS dental contract disincentivises dentists from taking on new patients. It found that the government contracts paid a dentist the same amount for giving a patient five fillings as it would do for one.

Health Minister Neil O’Brien acknowledged there were issues but told MPs, “I'm absolutely keen to focus on to tackle this problem about people who can't get an NHS dentist and to improve that.

“We can see at the moment how many dentists are taking on new patients. We want to drive it up.”

The chairman of the British Dental Association, Eddie Crouch, accused the Minister of trying to ‘defend the indefensible’ saying that there were no signs of improvement.

He added, “NHS dentistry needs urgent reform, it’s got tweaks. It requires sustainable funding, instead we’ve got a charge hike that’s hit the patients who need us most.

“An exodus of dentists is still in motion, and millions remain unable to secure the care they need.”