NHS DENTISTRY IN DISARRAY - MPs

12.30.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 23rd Jun 2009

Cornwall's Lib Dem MPs have criticised the Government's handling of NHS dentistry after an independent review recommended a complete overhaul of the system - just three years after the last dental contract came into force.

The Government announced the review of NHS dentistry across the country last year, which was headed up by Sir Jimmy Steele, who paid a visit to Cornwall earlier in the year. The move followed criticisms that the introduction of a new contract for dentists in April 2006 had reduced access for patients and led to an increase in 'drill and fill' procedures at the expense of preventative treatments.

Under the recommendations put forward by the review's report, dentist income should be determined by patient list size, quality of care and the number of courses of treatment. It represents a move back towards patient registration, which was scrapped under the 2006 changes.

In the 2 years following the introduction of the new contract, nearly 8,000 fewer patients in Cornwall were seen by an NHS dentist, according to figures obtained by Cornwall's MPs. At present, only one NHS dental practice in the county is currently accepting new patients. Mylor Dental Practice has recently warned that without changes to the funding setup, they may face the prospect of closing their list to new patients.

Commenting, Julia Goldsworthy said:

"NHS Dentistry in Cornwall has been pushed into further crisis as a result of the new contract introduced in 2006. Half of local residents still don't have access to routine NHS care, and the fact that the only NHS practice in the county accepting new patients is considering closing its books demonstrates how extreme the difficulties have become.

"This report highlights the important changes that need to be made, which the government have announced they will pilot. Given the dire state of access to NHS dental provision in Cornwall, I will be pressing the Health Minister to ensure we are included in any pilots that go ahead."

Andrew George, MP for St Ives, added:

"In a private briefing from Professor Jimmy Steele - who kindly accepted my invitation to visit Cornwall as part of the Inquiry in February this year - he told me that Cornwall did have a significantly below average provision of NHS dentistry and that we deserved a better share of the 'central NHS pot'. He has offered to meet again to go through the report's findings and what it could mean for Cornwall. This is very encouraging."