Halifax MP launches petition calling for urgent improvements to dental services
Halifax MP, Holly Lynch, has launched a petition calling for urgent improvements to local NHS dental services.
Ms Lynch is taking the petition to parliament in a bid to encourage ministers to take immediate action to help patients who cannot get dental appointments. The petition has already been signed by hundreds of residents, many of whom had contacted their MP as a result of being unable to access NHS dental care.
Ms Lynch claims that patients are being advised to travel out of the area to find a dentist and that people are struggling to access emergency appointments, as well as routine dentistry. The petition calls for urgent help for Halifax residents.
Local people are not able to find practices that are accepting new patients, Ms Lynch explained, and parents are struggling to get NHS appointments for their children.
Dentists are finding it increasingly tough to work within the constraints of the NHS contract and numerous MPs from all over the country have now raised the issue of dental care, she added. Ms Lynch urged the government to listen to MPs who are talking on behalf of their constituents, including patients and dental professionals. She said that it cannot reach a point where parents have “no choice but to attempt DIY dentistry on their children.”
Local health watchdogs have been monitoring the situation and there are currently no dental practices in Calderdale or Kirklees accepting new NHS adult or child patients. There are concerns that existing issues will get worse with the demand for treatment rising and more dentists considering switching to private care.
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