Isle of Wight MP proposes ideas to improve island dental services

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The MP for the Isle of Wight, Bob Seeley, has proposed ideas to improve dental services on the island.

Speaking at a debate on oral health services at Westminster Hall, Mr Seeley outlined the most significant problems faced by patients on the island before suggesting ways to improve the current situation. Many patients are currently unable to get appointments close to home and this means that they are faced with a choice between joining a waiting list and travelling to the mainland.

Mr Seeley proposed a dental training scheme based on the Isle of Wight in addition to increased salaries for interns and a simpler process for practices to qualify as training facilities.

Recognising that there is no easy fix to the problem, particularly during a pandemic, Mr Seeley said that he was keen to work with government ministers to see what could be done to try and improve the situation and enable more patients on the island to see a dentist.

The debate came after Healthwatch England released a report suggesting that some patients could be waiting up to three years to see a dentist unless they switched from NHS to private care.

Additional funding has been provided for practices on the Isle of Wight since the beginning of the year but the demand for appointments is increasing and there are substantial backlogs as a result of lockdowns and limits on patient numbers that are in force to protect staff and patients.

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