Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

NHS Dentists

Tuesday 6 December 2022 · 3 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 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The number of dental school places has increased from 810 in 2019 to 970 in 2021.
  • The Minister offered to meet with Greg Knight to address dental access issues in Bridlington.
  • Rachael Maskell questioned the effectiveness of integrated care boards in reducing long waiting times for NHS dentists in York.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Greg Knight Con
NHS
Context

The question arises from a need to address the shortage of NHS dentists in certain areas.

Question

What recent steps has the Department taken to increase the number of dentists working in the NHS?

Answer from Neil O'Brien

The number of dental school places is up from 810 in 2019 to 970 in 2021, making it easier for qualified dentists to come to the UK. We are putting through secondary legislation and encouraging new centres for dental development.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not address recent specific steps taken by the Department directly.

How: Secondary Legislation, Encouraging New Centres

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Q2 Greg Knight Con
NHS
Context

A recent closure of a dental practice and increasing difficulty for residents to access NHS dental care prompted this question.

Question

Is the Minister aware that there is a particular problem in Bridlington where an increasing number of residents are finding it difficult or impossible to access NHS dental care, and will he agree to meet me on this matter?

Answer from Neil O'Brien

I would be keen to meet to try to address those issues and to build on the work that we are doing nationally.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister acknowledged the issue but did not provide a specific commitment or timeline for action.

How: Keen To Meet

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Q3 Rachael Maskell Labour (Co-op) York Central
NHS
Context

Residents of York have faced long wait times for NHS dentists, and the situation has not improved despite upcoming changes to integrated care systems.

Question

How are integrated care boards going to solve the problem of a six-year waiting time for an NHS dentist in York?

Answer from Neil O'Brien

Large, remote regional commissioning has made it unlikely that specific local problems are picked up. Moving to more local accountability over service commissioning is a step towards solving this problem.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specifics on how integrated care boards will solve the issue in York.

How: Local Accountability

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