Shropshire MP says NHS dental crisis ‘a kick in the teeth’ for families
Shropshire MP Helen Morgan spoke in the House of Commons earlier this week to press Health Secretary Steve Barclay on the need for more rural NHS dentists in areas like Shropshire.
This followed warnings from the MP that many in Shropshire have been undertaking dangerous ‘DIY dentistry’ due to the length of waiting times, inaccessibility of NHS services, and high costs of pursuing private care.
Recent House of Commons Library data revealed by the MP showed that in North Shropshire, only a third of adults were seen by a dentist in the last two years, a rate dramatically falling year on year. In the same time period, only half of all children were seen.
Helen Morgan MP said: “There is a crisis in accessing NHS dental services in Shropshire, which is coming as a kick in the teeth to families forced to shell out and go private or continue suffering without the care they need.
“I stood up in the Commons yesterday to speak up for rural people and called on the Secretary of State to get a hold of the problem. We need a cast-iron guarantee that rural areas like Shropshire will continue to have access to NHS dental provision.
“This issue is not going away any time soon – the Government need to act.”
