Maria Caulfield, Member of Parliament for Lewes, has welcomed the launch of the Conservative Government’s NHS Dental Recovery Plan, as part of its long-term plan to improve access to NHS dentistry and deliver on the Prime Minister’s commitment to cut waiting lists.
Backed by £200 million of new Government funding, the plan sets out a package of measures to deliver 2.5million additional NHS dental appointments over the next 12 months, ensuring they are where they needed most, and expanding preventative care for younger children to help reduce tooth decay.
To help improve access in the short term, new dental vans are being launched to help reach more isolated communities, including in rural and coastal areas. In the longer term, around 240 dentists will be offered one-off payments of up to £20,000 for working in under-served areas for up to three years, helping to attract new NHS dentists and improve provision of care in areas with the highest demand.
Further measures include introducing a New Patient Premium payment to incentivise dentists to treat around a million new patients who have not seen an NHS dentist in two years or more. The scheme will be introduced within weeks, ensuring that patients can benefit immediately. The minimum value of activity will also increase from £23 to £28 and high-performing practices will also be able to deliver extra work on top of their contracted activity, ensuring that NHS work is more attractive to dental teams.
Trainee dental places will be expanded by 40 percent as part of the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, as the Government looks to target the expansion into areas of the country which are underserved by the dental workforce.
Expanded prevention care is also being rolled out for younger children to help reduce tooth decay and improve the nation’s oral health. The Smile for Life programme will offer parents-to-be further advice for baby gum sand milk teeth with babies and toddlers in nurseries having tooth brushing as part of the daily routine, so that every child in primary school will see tooth brushing as a normal part of their day.
Commenting on the plan, Maria Caulfield MP said:
“Accessing NHS dentistry is one of the biggest concerns of local residents that I hear from, I am pleased that this plan is going to unlock 2.5 million appointments over the next 12 months. Everyone should be able to access NHS dentistry quickly and easily and I hope this plan will help to make this a reality”.