Bradford East MP Urges Government to Act Urgently to Tackle Dental Crisis
MP for Bradford East, Imran Hussain, has called for the government to take urgent action to tackle the dental crisis facing the city.
Mr Hussain stressed that the situation needs to be dealt with now and suggested that MPs do not wait until a new contract is introduced in 2018.
Research from Healthwatch Bradford recently claimed that 40 percent of adults in Bradford are not registered with a dentist. The survey also suggested that a third of children do not currently have an NHS dentist.
Mr Hussain is the latest in a long line of public figures who have come forward to discuss the situation in Bradford. Local MPs, patient group representatives and city councillors have also spoken about the issue. Vanda Greenwood, chair of the council’s health scrutiny committee, confirmed that she leant her full support to Mr Hussain’s plans to improve oral health access in the city.
The government has been running pilot schemes since 2011 with a view to replacing the contract brought in by Labour in 2006, however Mr Hussain said that changes are taking too long and Bradford can’t wait until a new contract comes into play in 2018. The city is facing a dental crisis and urgent action has been requested.
Councillor Greenwood said that standards of oral health in the area are poor compared to other parts of the UK, especially among children and the council will support any measures that attempt to improve standards and help people in Bradford to enjoy better oral health.
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