Stuart Anderson welcomes plan to improve dental access in rural areas

South Shropshire’s Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Stuart Anderson has welcomed a package of reforms to improve access to NHS dentistry, including in rural areas such as Shropshire.

The Dental Recovery Plan will see the Government investing £200 million to ensure that everyone has fast and fair access to a dentist when they need one.

Stuart particularly welcomed measures to ensure easier and faster access to NHS dental care in rural areas. New dental vans will be available for targeted rural and coastal communities in underserved areas. The first vans will be up and running later this year. NHS dentists will also be incentivised to deliver more NHS care in remote areas. They will be offered £20,000 to stay and deliver NHS care for at least three years where recruitment and retention of dentists has been difficult.

In addition, Stuart welcomed a major new focus on prevention and good oral health in young children, with targeted measures to help reduce tooth decay. The 'Smile for Life' initiative will offer reception-aged children vital prevention measures to help reduce dental decay and give them a healthier smile, while mobile dental teams will be going into schools of under-served areas to provide advice. Ultimately, the Government’s aim is to have every child viewing daily toothbrushing and good oral hygiene as part of their daily routine.

Overall, the measures in the plan will see more than 2.5 million additional NHS dental treatments delivered for patients over the next 12 months. This will allow around 1 million new patients access to NHS dental treatment and build on the Government’s pre-existing investment of over £3 billion each year to deliver NHS dentistry. The latest Dental Statistics for England is already indicating signs of improvements in patients accessing NHS dental care. 1.7 million more adults saw an NHS dentist in 2022/23 compared to the previous year, an increase of 10%. 

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023, includes a 40% increase to dentistry undergraduate training places by 2031/32. The Government will expand places by 24% by 2028/29, taking the overall number that year to 1,000 places. The plan will look at a ‘tie-in’ so more dentist graduates are incentivised to work in NHS dental care.

Stuart Anderson said: “Fast and fair access to a dentist is a vital part of my campaign to improve public services in South Shropshire. So I welcome these measures to boost the nation’s oral health and increase dental access across England. They will especially help rural areas like ours in South Shropshire, where the recruitment and retention of dentists has proven challenging. The plan will make sure everyone who needs to see a dentist can do so, while delivering vital prevention activities to help parents ensure young people get the best start in life when it comes to dental hygiene. Together with the roll out of a mobile vans service in underserved areas, these steps will help to deliver easier and quicker access to NHS dental care across the whole of England.”

The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said: “NHS dentistry was hit hard by the pandemic and while services are improving – with 23% more treatments delivered last year compared to the previous year – we know that for too many people, accessing a dentist isn’t as easy as it should be. That’s why we’re taking action today to boost the number of NHS dentists, help cut waiting lists and put NHS dentistry on a sustainable footing for the long-term. Backed by £200 million, this new recovery plan will deliver millions more NHS dental appointments and provide easier and faster access to care for people right across the country.”