Taken from the last copy of the Big Issue North, a magazine I first began writing for in 2004. Sad say.
MPS CRITICISED FOR TOOTHLESS INQUIRY
Committee refuses to ask patients to give evidence
Campaigners say ministers are asking wrong questions
A parliamentary select committee has been criticised for
refusing to ask patients to appear before its inquiry into NHS dentistry.
Toothless in England wants the government to act urgently to
revive dental services, which have collapsed in many neighbourhoods.
When the BBC last year contacted nearly 7,000 NHS practices
– believed to be almost all those offering general treatment to the public – it
discovered that nine in 10 NHS dental practices were not accepting new adult
patients for NHS treatment.
MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee are currently
holding an inquiry into NHS dentistry. Members are considering “to what extent
the current NHS dental contract disincentivises dentists from taking on new
patients… and will look at what incentives can be offered by the NHS to recruit
and retain dental professionals”.
“Closed shop”
Toothless in England has submitted written evidence to the
committee and requested speaking rights that would include members of the
public who have suffered as a result of the lack of NHS dentists. This request
was refused.
At the committee’s first hearing in March, those appearing
were all professionals involved in dentistry.
Toothless in England spokesperson Dan Ross said: “We are not
surprised at our exclusion as those being questioned are part of a closed shop.
“But if they want the select committee to have any
integrity, they should be speaking to precisely the people on the frontline,
which
freezing these people out then they are only going to get
the answers that they are expecting to get. But the problems won’t go away by
asking the wrong questions to the wrong people.
Call for more resources
“The fundamental problem is a legislative one that stretches
across the party divide and which can only be resolved by more resources and
restructuring dental structures.
“The crisis, which means even children in parts of
Manchester don’t visit a dentist, is not the fault of NHS dentists or practices
but is caused by not fit for purpose legislation introduced under the last
Labour government.”
British Dental Association chair Eddie Crouch said: “We
warned MPs NHS dentistry was now a sinking ship. The mass closures of practices
announced in March illustrates the scale of this crisis.
The chair of the H&SC committee, Steve Brine, MP for
Winchester, said: “Access to NHS dental services is of real concern to the
Health and Social Care Committee. There’s evidence of enormous regional
variation in how likely people are to be able to sign up for dental treatment,
meaning being forced to go private or suffer in pain.
“We heard striking evidence in our first evidence session
from dental professionals and from other witnesses about the dental contract
and about the recruitment, retention and training of the dental workforce.
“The views of patients will be represented in the inquiry.
“Our evidence-led inquiry will result in recommendations to
government aimed at tackling the current problems experienced in NHS
dentistry.”
MARK METCALF
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