Toothless in Suffolk to stage protest outside council offices in Ipswich
The campaign group, Toothless in Suffolk, will stage a protest outside Suffolk County Council’s offices in Ipswich in July.
The group is planning to protest outside the council buildings on Wednesday July 12th. The date has been chosen to coincide with the council’s health scrutiny committee meeting at which members are due to discuss local dental services.
Toothless in Suffolk launched during the pandemic as a result of deepening access issues in the county. Mark Jones, founder and campaign coordinator, will attend the meeting. He plans to get information about the state of NHS dental services and will be asking questions and demanding answers ahead of the group’s planned protest.
Protests have already been held in Bury St Edmunds and Leiston. In 2021, the group expanded to form Toothless in England. Campaigners are raising awareness of the difficulties faced by patients and pushing for urgent improvement in access to NHS dental services.
Studies show that NHS dentist numbers have fallen since 2020, with patients across the country now struggling to find an NHS dentist or get an appointment. Suffolk is one of the worst-affected counties. The idea for Toothless in Suffolk came about when residents in Leiston lost their last dental practice. Since the group launched, the situation has got worse, with several local practices closing or going private.
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