Commons Sense

House of Commons · Adjournment Debate

Dental Care: Durham

24 May 2023 · 1 other contributor

Opened by Mary Foy Lab City of Durham

NHS

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Mary Foy raised concerns about dental care: durham in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • Mary Foy highlighted severe limitations in NHS dental services in County Durham, citing cases of constituents unable to find NHS dentists for urgent needs.
  • The minister acknowledged ongoing challenges in NHS dentistry and confirmed plans to overhaul the 2006 dental contract, working with the British Dental Association.
  • Ongoing measures include introducing more bands for dental activity units, setting minimum UDA values, and aiming for 110% delivery of UDAs to improve NHS dentist attraction and address access disparities.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Mary Foy Lab City of Durham

Mary Foy highlighted the crisis in NHS dental services, particularly in County Durham where access to dentists is severely limited. She cited examples of constituents unable to find NHS dentists despite urgent needs such as post-transplant health monitoring and pregnancy exemptions. The speech also mentioned preventable issues like tooth decay leading to A&E admissions for children. Foy stressed that the problem lies with the Government's outdated dental contract rather than the dentists themselves, pushing them towards private practice due to financial constraints. She called for a comprehensive national dental strategy focusing on prevention and reform of the NHS dental contract.

Other contributors (1)
  • Hon. Friend Lab

    Agreed with Foy that there is a political will issue regarding the NHS dentistry crisis.

Government Response

Neil O'Brien

Minister Neil O'Brien acknowledged the challenges in NHS dentistry but emphasised ongoing reforms. He confirmed plans to overhaul the 2006 contract and work with the British Dental Association. The Government introduced measures like more bands for dental activity units, minimum UDA values, and 110% delivery of UDAs. These steps aim to increase dentist attraction to NHS practices and address regional disparities in access. A comprehensive national dental plan is forthcoming to improve payment models and access for new patients, including historical valuation adjustments and preventive measures in schools. O'Brien also cautioned against using incomplete data for accurate reflections of dentistry activity trends.

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