Funding Concerns for Northern Ireland Oral Health Initiatives
Health bosses in Northern Ireland are struggling to find funding for oral health initiatives after budget cuts were announced after it has been revealed that there is a seven million pound shortfall in the NHS oral health budget this year.
The government had announced a number of initiatives to try and improve standards of oral health and surveys and studies have revealed that standards in Northern Ireland are amongst the worst in the UK. The new measures were aimed to try and reduce rates of decay and other common oral health conditions, including gum disease. Now that the shortfall has been revealed, the plans for new oral health measures could be scrapped.
The seven million pound deficit will likely affect the provision of NHS oral healthcare in the near future and there are fears that the Health and Social Care Board may be forced to reduce dentist’s fees, which may encourage more dentists to go private, leading to a shortage of NHS dentists. Bosses may also be forced to limit the range of treatments available on the NHS, meaning that treatments that are now available at subsidised fees may no longer be carried out on the NHS. This all means that patients could subsequently face much higher fees for certain procedures in the future.
Peter Crooks, chair of the British Dental Association in Northern Ireland, said that the government’s decision to cut budgets may compromise the provision of oral healthcare in the future. Crooks said that the implications of budget cuts could be very serious and potentially long-term and the BDA is urging the government to consider alternatives before confirming the cuts.
Join this Discussion
