Toothless in Suffolk group launches national campaign
A group, which has been calling for better access to NHS dental care in Suffolk, has expanded its campaign to cover the whole of England.
Toothless in Suffolk has launched a national campaign to encourage the government to address widespread issues affecting dental patients. The group, which recently organised a protest march in Bury St Edmunds, has outlined six key demands to officially launch Toothless in England.
The list includes ensuring that everyone in the country has access to an NHS dentist and revising the existing contract. Other demands include increased revenue to compensate for underfunding, free NHS dental treatment, an end to privatisation and the abolition of what the group calls a “two-tier system” by ensuring that preventative treatments are an “NHS core function.”
Spokesman for Toothless in Suffolk, Mark Jones, said that people are suffering due to “successive years of government neglect and underfunding by HM Treasury.” Mr Jones added that patients are struggling with their dental and mental health and suggested that ministers are failing to view dental care as a “critical NHS service.”
Mr Jones said that the campaign was expanding to increase pressure and encourage the government to act to address the access crisis, which is impacting patients across the country. Suffolk is one of the worst-affected areas, but patients in all corners are having trouble getting a dental appointment.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said that the government is working closely with the NHS to increase capacity and tackle backlogs. A representative from the NHS in the East of England confirmed that urgent dental care is available, with 49 hubs currently offering emergency dental treatment for patients in the East.
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