NHS Dental Contracting Framework

The oral questions in the House of Commons focused on the effectiveness of the NHS dental contracting framework. Several Labour MPs, including Alice Macdonald (Norwich North), Lewis Atkinson (Sunderland Central), and Jon Pearce (High Peak), raised concerns about the lack of access to NHS dentistry in their constituencies, describing them as "dental deserts." In response, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, acknowledged the severity of the crisis in NHS dentistry, stating that 13 million people in England have unmet dental needs. He pledged to work with the British Dental Association to reform the dental contract and rebuild NHS dentistry. Streeting also committed to providing 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments and recruiting dentists to areas of greatest need. Alice Macdonald followed up by asking the Secretary of State to meet with her, other Norfolk MPs, and representatives from the University of East Anglia to discuss their proposal for a new dental school in the region. Streeting agreed to the meeting, recognizing the significant shortage of dentists in Norfolk and Waveney. Lewis Atkinson and Jon Pearce also raised the issue of accessing urgent dental care in their constituencies, with Atkinson highlighting that his constituents in Sunderland Central were unable to access even emergency appointments. Streeting acknowledged these concerns and stated that the government would work with the British Dental Association to get the additional urgent appointments up and running as soon as possible. The only intervention from a Conservative MP came from Dame Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire), who asked about the impact of the NHS dental recovery plan in the Worcestershire and Herefordshire area. Streeting dismissed the plan, stating that it was a "gimmick" and that the Conservatives had failed to address the issues in NHS dentistry over the past 14 years.