Government launches dental inquiry amid deepening NHS access issues
The government has launched an inquiry into NHS dental services amid a deepening access crisis.
The Health and Social Care Committee will conduct the inquiry following the publication of a survey that shows that around 90% of NHS practices across the UK are not accepting new adult NHS patients.
As part of their investigation, committee members will explore whether NHS dentists are disincentivised from offering places to new patients and evaluate new measures and incentives, which could help to increase capacity.
The panel will also analyse the potential impact of changes to commissioning and the provision of NHS care, which are due to come into force in April 2023. Under new guidelines, Integrated Care Systems and Integrated Health Boards will assume responsibility for contract provision.
The committee is taking written submissions by Wednesday January 25th. Submissions should be no more than 3,000 words in length and they should cover the following points: what the NHS and the government can do to improve access to dental services, what changes can be made to the NHS contract following the latest reforms, how inequalities in NHS dental provision can be addressed and what kinds of incentives can be offered to improve dentist retention rates and boost recruitment.
Committee chair, Steve Brine, said, “People resorting to DIY dentistry, even taking out their own teeth without anaesthetic or medical care are stories that should belong to another era yet such events are reported to be happening here today.” He added that the inquiry will help to establish why accessing NHS care is so difficult and what can be done to improve access to services and “reduce such unnecessary pain and suffering.”
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