Bradford MP campaigns for better NHS dental care in her area
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- Published: Wednesday, 14 March 2018 07:43
- Written by News Editor
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The Bradford Telegraph and Argus has started a new campaign as Bradford's oral health and dentistry reaches 'crisis point'. It is supported by Bradford South MP Judith Cummins who, has campaigned on this issue since being elected and said the problems the district’s children face in terms of their dental health were “appalling”.
In Bradford people face a struggle to find an NHS dentist, having to visit A&E because of dental pain and in some cases resorting to DIY dentistry to solve their problems. A damning survey carried out by Healthwatch Bradford and District in 2016 revealed the scale of the problem. It found that 74% of people said they had tried, but couldn’t find a local dentist accepting NHS patients. 10% of people who didn’t have routine NHS dental care had to attend A&E because of pain. Meanwhile, 20% of people had to use emergency dental services and other people reported resorting to ‘DIY dentistry’, including extracting their own teeth.
A recent readers poll by the Telegraph & Argus found 97% of people believe more NHS dentists are needed. And a check of the NHS Choices website shows a number of dental surgeries within five miles of Bradford are not accepting new adult or child patients.
Bradford South MP Judith Cummins is calling for investment in Bradford to tackle dentistry 'crisis'. And she has slammed the problems the district’s children face in terms of their dental health as “appalling”. From tooth decay to multiple extractions to not being able to access an NHS dentist – it’s a situation Mrs Cummins is determined to tackle.
She added: “I think we are at a crisis point in terms of dentistry and oral health for children in Bradford. I think it’s a scandal that we are seeing hundreds of children having their teeth extracted because they can’t get into a dentist. I think moving forwards, what needs to happen is Government needs to acknowledge that there is a specific problem in Bradford and invest the money that it needs into Bradford to get us out of this crisis point.”
She said that one problem lies in the historic dentistry contracts which are no longer “fit for purpose” and said a two-tier system is being created where people who cannot afford to pay for private treatment are “left to suffer”. “Various schemes have been set up,” she continued, “one scheme was to reinvest the clawback of the money that wasn’t spent into dentistry in Bradford, so you would get more dental appointments available at NHS dentists for people to be able to book into those. Those were not advertised, yet over a six-month period there was a 92% uptake.
“That, as I said to the Minister at the time, clearly demonstrates there is such a need for increased NHS provision of dentistry in Bradford. They do recognise there is a problem, but I think various Ministers also recognise that to address the problem there’s a need to invest some serious money into it.”
Link to MP’s article: http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/16079300.Stop_the_Rot__MP_calls_for_investment_in_Bradford_to_tackle_dentistry___39_crisis__39_/
Stop the Rot - a symptom of National neglect for P
So this issue continues even in cities like Bradford where about half the children are walking around with active decay in their mouths, yet even THIS level of serious dental problems doesn't make it onto the limited list of targetted worst areas in Governments first attempt to address this growing tragedy :(The BDA describe it as tinkering around the edges........
I have also contributed to this Campaign - a great initiative which shows how nothing will really get done unless WE do something about it, starting by widely publicising the problems caused by continued centralised neglect wrt dental health & prevention !!!
Read more here - I'm sure Bradford is not unique but maybe many more colleagues can support more local campaigns more publicly too:
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/News/16081071.Stop_the_Rot____39_We_have_to_stop_this___39_child_tragedy__39___says_dentist_as_T_A_campaign_gets_underway/?c=z900yf
Yours also preventively,
Tony.
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