Crawley’s Conservatives are choosing to let NHS dentistry die

Figures reveal that, of the 16 dental surgeries who have provided a recent update in Crawley, 15 are not currently accepting any new adult patients. Despite the growing issue in the town, Crawley’s Conservative representative voted down Labour’s motion to resurrect NHS dentistry.

The collapse of NHS dentistry has left millions of patients unable to get an appointment when they need one. Analysis of patient survey data suggests that last year, 4.75 million people were either told there were no appointments available or the practice wasn’t taking on new patients, when they last tried to book an appointment.

Healthwatch England has reported horror stories of people forced to pull their own teeth out, with 1 in 10 Brits claiming to have attempted their own dental work.

A recent report from the Nuffield Trust warned that, under the Tories, NHS dentistry “is at its most perilous point in its 75-year history,” and suggested that it may no longer be offered to all patients. The government has launched a pilot in Cornwall where NHS dentistry will only be offered to children and the most vulnerable.

Had Labour’s motion passed it would have delivered:

• 700,000 more urgent dentistry appointments
• Incentives to recruit dentists to the areas most in need
• Supervised toothbrushing in schools for three- to five-year-olds
• Reform of the NHS dental contract so everyone who needs a dentist can get one

Labour would fund the plan by abolishing the non-dom tax status, a tax break which allows wealthy people who live and work in Britain to pay their taxes overseas.

Peter Lamb, Labour candidate for Crawley, commented that:

“Patients in Crawley are finding it impossible to see a dentist, with some having to resort to DIY dentistry. Yet when the chance came to do something about it, Crawley’s Conservatives made it clear that don’t intend to act.

“The Conservatives think that people should be happy with the poor service we have today. Another five years of the Conservatives will see NHS dentistry gone for good.”