BDA Calls For Clarity From Health Secretary
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- Published: Thursday, 16 September 2021 10:30
- Written by Chris Tapper
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The British Dental Association has written to the Health Secretary Sajid Javid following the Prime Minister’s statement in the House of Commons that “We want the NHS to be a better place for the dental profession."
The BDA asked Mr Javid to clarify what the Government’s £36 billion boost for frontline NHS services would actually mean for dentistry.
Boris Johnson last week announced the new Health and Social Care Levy would fund the “Biggest catch-up programme in the NHS’s history.”
The letter, signed by BDA Chair Dr Eddie Crouch and General Dental Practice Committee Chair Dr Shawn Charlwood said “Colleagues working across the country are under the greatest pressure they have ever known.”
“The whole service desperately needs significant investment to stay afloat and prevent an exodus of dental staff from the NHS, which would have a catastrophic impact on access for patients and the oral health of the nation.”
Dr Crouch and Dr Charlwood told the Health Secretary “The backlogs we face are unprecedented.”
“Practices continue to operate at a fraction of their former capacity to meet infection control restrictions, and England remains the only UK nation not to commit any capital funding for ventilation improvements to enable a safe increase in patient numbers.”
The BDA pointed out to Mr Javid that NHS dentistry was struggling even before the coronavirus pandemic.
“High street dentistry was the only part of the NHS that went into the pandemic operating on a lower cash budget than it did over a decade ago.”
“Government contributions to the service fell by over a third in real terms in the same period. Moreover, the disruption to access and ongoing care, the parallel suspension of public health programmes, and changes in lifestyle and dietary habits during lockdown are, taken together, likely to increase demand for treatment compared to pro pandemic.”
“Delays to diagnosis and treatment inevitably mean poorer outcomes, and more extensive and expensive interventions.”
The BDA pointed out that NHS dentistry’s recovery from the pandemic hinges on fair investment.
“The workforce needs reassurances now from the highest level that a proportion of this new money will be used to help tackle this unprecedented backlog of dental care, and enable them to continue to provide NHS dentistry in the years ahead,” the letter continued.
The letter concluded with an offer from the BDA to meet with the Health Secretary and his team to discuss meeting the goal of improving NHS dentistry.
“Today the Prime Minister recognised that this service needs fixing and told the House ’That’s why we’re investing in the NHS. We want the NHS to be a better place for the dental profession.’
“On behalf of our members, and the millions they treat, we would be pleased to meet with you and your team to discuss how this new investment can help achieve that goal.”
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