Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

NHS Dental Care Services

Tuesday 14 June 2022 · 8 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 7 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Minister aims to improve NHS dental care access through contract reforms to pay dentists more fairly.
  • Negotiations for NHS dental contract reform are ongoing with the British Dental Association, with an expected announcement before the summer recess.
  • The current NHS dental contract is seen as a disincentive for dentists to take on NHS work, and reforms are planned to address this issue.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 John Penrose Con
NHS
Context

Weston-super-Mare faces significant challenges in accessing NHS dental care, with a backlog exacerbated by the pandemic.

Question

What steps is the Minister taking to improve the availability of and access to routine NHS dental care services in (a) Weston-super-Mare constituency and (b) England?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

The best way to improve access to NHS dental services nationally is through reforms of the NHS dental contract, which will aim to pay dentists more fairly for their work. In Weston-super-Mare, a number of measures are taking place in Somerset, including a nurse-led dental helpline to open up available appointments.

Partly answered
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Q2 John Penrose Con
NHS
Context

Despite the pandemic, access to NHS dentistry is a critical issue with significant backlogs and inequalities.

Question

Even before the pandemic, the NHS commissioned enough dentistry to cover only about half the population of England. Since then, backlogs have increased, making dentistry the No. 1 problem raised with Healthwatch. Four in five people cannot find timely care. How quickly can contract reform be fixed?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

Negotiations have started and the details are with the British Dental Association. We expect to make an announcement before the summer recess.

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Q3 Meg Hillier Labour (Co-op) Hackney South and Shoreditch
NHS
Context

Distressing cases of lack of access to timely NHS dentistry have been raised, indicating a need for clear measures in the near future.

Question

There has never been the right package to pay dentists to do work, driving them out of business. Inefficiencies are costing taxpayers dear. When will proper certainty around contract reform be given so that dentists know it is worth sticking with NHS patients?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

The contract is a perverse disincentive for dentists to take on NHS work. We are serious about reforming it and expect to make an announcement before the summer recess.

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Q4 Simon Fell
NHS
Context

In areas with a dearth of dentists, the recruitment challenge must be addressed.

Question

Can the Minister speak about the recruitment challenge to meet when contract reform comes through?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

We are working with Health Education England on centres for dental development to train more dentists in coastal and rural areas. We also look at how we can reform the overseas dentist policy, possibly bringing legislation towards the end of the year.

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Q5 Mike Amesbury Lab
NHS
Context

A constituent waited two years for an appointment, during which time several rotten teeth had to be removed.

Question

In areas like mine, people wait up to two years for appointments. With routine appointments not available during the pandemic, when will there be proper certainty about measures?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

During the pandemic, only urgent appointments were available due to aspiration procedures. We now enable 95% of usual activity and will soon be at 100%, but there is still a backlog.

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Q6 Kate Griffiths
NHS
Context

A review has been promised for many years regarding concerns about the units of dental activity (UDA) system.

Question

Like colleagues, I have many constituents struggling to access an NHS dentist. The UDA system is not working for dentists or patients. Can my hon. Friend update me on when it might take place?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

There is a perverse disincentive in the current contract under the UDA system, as dentists are not paid based on level of activity. We are in discussions with the British Dental Association and hope to have news very soon.

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Q7 Feryal Clark Lab Enfield North
NHS
Context

Members across the House have been calling on the Minister to fix the crisis in NHS dentistry.

Question

Members across the House are calling on the Minister to fix the crisis, but she seems intent on burying her head in the sand. The Government has no plan and the Minister is running scared from even talking to dentists at a conference last week. Does the Minister agree that the people of Wakefield should bear this in mind next Thursday?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

The Labour dental contract put in place in 2006 is causing problems. If the hon. Lady were to meet with dentists, she would hear that the current system causes issues. We will be announcing changes before the summer recess.

Not addressed: Agreement or disagreement with criticism of lack of action

How: Blaming Previous Government Policy

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Q8 Daisy Cooper Lib Dem St Albans
NHS
Context

The Government announced £50 million to create new dentistry appointments, but zero new appointments were created in the questioner's constituency despite local practices being contacted. The questioner has not received an answer to a previous inquiry.

Question

At the start of this year the Government announced £50 million to create some new dentistry appointments, but that money resulted in exactly zero new appointments in my constituency. I wrote to every single dental practice in my constituency and they said that was because the funding offer was too limited in scope and time and they were given only a week to reply. On 25 April, I wrote to the Minister asking how many appointments had been created from this money across England and where that money had gone. I have not received an answer. Will we get one today?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

I am very disappointed: that £50 million of funding was for dentistry to access and be able to afford more appointments, and if local commissioners in an area did not bid for that money or ask dentists to take that money on, that is extremely disappointing—those in other parts of the country certainly did. We are putting £3 billion a year into dentistry. Local MPs have a role to play in this: if there was a problem, I would have expected the hon. Lady to have come and seen me before now to lobby for more funding for her local area.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer does not provide specific information on how many appointments were created or where the £50 million was allocated.

How: Disappointment Without Addressing Specifics, Redirecting Responsibility To Local Mps

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