THE Dental Recovery Plan comes “too little, too late,” campaigners have warned as dentists are being offered up to £50 to take on new patients.
Under government plans to boost dentistry across England, launched today after being leaked on Tuesday, dental professionals will also be given £20,000 “golden hellos” to work in communities with a lack of NHS treatments available.
Dentists will also be paid more for their NHS work, and other initiatives will include “dental vans” rolled out in rural areas and the use of the NHS app to see which practices are accepting new patients.
The government said around a million people who have not seen a dentist for two or more years are expected to benefit.
British Dental Association’s general dental practice committee chairman Shawn Charlwood said: “This recovery plan is not worthy of the title.
“It won’t halt the exodus from the workforce or offer hope to millions struggling to access care.”
And Toothless in England said in a statement: “It has been a long time coming, but for millions of patients and thousands of dentists [the plan] comes too little, too late.
“The news is still filled with horrifying tales of do-it-yourself dental work and small children being taken to the hospital due to excruciating tooth pain.
“Many thousands of dentists have resigned from their beloved profession, primarily due to the NHS dental contract being deemed ‘not fit for purpose.’
“They won’t care about this announcement because their lives and livelihoods have been drastically, negatively, and permanently impacted by what they’ve gone through.
“Regretfully, those who are currently in needless pain and suffering cannot expect their hope of receiving NHS dentistry anytime soon to improve.”
The group said the government’s failure to reform dentistry standard contracts means that its current plan is “destined to fail.”
Labour shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: “The Conservatives are only promising to do something about it now there’s an election coming.
“By adopting Labour’s proposals for recruitment and supervised toothbrushing, they are finally admitting that they are out of ideas of their own.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Backed by £200 million, this new recovery plan will deliver millions more NHS dental appointments and provide easier and faster access to care for people right across the country.”
