Health secretary reveals plans to tackle dental crisis on visit to Hull

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The health secretary has revealed plans to tackle the NHS dental crisis on a visit to Hull.

During a recent trip to East Yorkshire, Steve Barclay outlined measures to try to improve access to NHS dental services and reduce waiting times. Mr Barclay admitted that there are “challenges within dentistry at the moment” but stressed that the government was “committed to protecting NHS dentistry.”

One problem Mr Barclay highlighted was dental practices not being able to utilise funding to maximise capacity, which he suggested could be eased by “making full use of dental therapists and hygienists” because they have the necessary training to undertake many of the treatments and procedures that are currently only administered by dentists. This will help to reduce pressure on dentists and free up appointments for patients who need to see a dentist.

Mr Barclay indicated that changes to the NHS dental contract, which has been in place since 2006 and has been widely criticised, will improve access to NHS care. There are plans to change the way dentists are paid to increase earnings and remove barriers to facilitate better recruitment of dentists from other countries.

The NHS is hoping to recruit more international dentists in the months and years to come by making the process less complex and more efficient. There are also plans to encourage more dentists to stay within the NHS, as statistics suggest that up to 3,000 have left the service or reduced NHS capacities since 2020.

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