Lansley Confirms Cash Injection to Improve Access to NHS Dentistry
The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, has announced that NHS dentistry will receive an extra cash boost to improve access to dental services.
Lansley confirmed that an additional sum of £28 million will be made available to improve access to NHS dentistry. An extra 820,000 people have registered with an NHS dentist since May 2010 and the additional funding will increase this number to over one million.
Funding will be made available for Primary Care Trusts that successfully bid for the extra money. They will be required to introduce initiatives to improve services for local people, which may include extending opening hours and offering an at-home dental service for those with severe illnesses and disabilities and for the elderly, who may struggle to get out and about.
Speaking yesterday, Mr Lansley said that too many people are still having problems seeing an NHS dentist and this is why additional funding is being made available. Lansley added that dental care was a “priority of mine” and said that the extra money was an excellent example of what could be achieved by making the NHS more efficient and cutting back on bureaucracy.
Alison Simpson, a dentist working in Northampton, said that the cash boost was “excellent news for people who couldn’t get to see an NHS dentist before.” The additional funding will enable 1,000 more people in the Northampton area to benefit from NHS dental care.
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