No NHS Dental Places Available In Glamorgan
Andrew Davies, Member of the Welsh Assembly, has described the news that there are currently no available NHS dental places in the whole of the Vale of Glamorgan as a “kick in the teeth.”
Mr Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said that NHS dentistry is not a luxury and all patients should be able to access NHS dental care without having to travel long distances or wait for months on end to see a dentist.
Mr Davies was speaking in response to Health Minister, Mark Drakeford, who confirmed that there were no dental practices in the region accepting new adult patients.
Mr Davies also said that poor access to dental services now would impact NHS spending in the future, as preventative measures reduce the risk of dental issues, such as gum disease and decay. If large numbers of patients are missing out on regular dental appointments, this will serve to increase costs significantly further down the line.
The current situation is not satisfactory, according to Mr Davies, with patients from the Vale of Glamorgan being told they need to travel to Cardiff to see an NHS dentist.
Mr Davies added that the problem was another indicator that the Labour Party “cannot be trusted with our NHS” and called for the government to act quickly to ameliorate the situation and ensure that patients in Wales have access to the services they need and deserve.
In response, Mr Drakeford said that there were practices accepting children in the Vale of Glamorgan, as well as those based in Cardiff with spaces available for adult patients. He added that the problems with access in the Vale of Glamorgan had been noted and work is underway to increase capacity in existing practices in the area.
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