BDA Chair Speaks At Rally, As Dental Access Protesters Take To The Streets
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- Published: Monday, 18 October 2021 07:55
- Written by Chris Tapper
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British Dental Association Chair Dr Eddie Crouch addressed a rally in Bury St Edmunds yesterday, as Suffolk residents marched in protest at the lack of NHS dental access in the county.
An estimated 200 protesters marched from Angel Hill in the town, to Abbey Gardens.
The march and rally was organised by Toothless in Suffolk, a growing action group launched to highlight the county’s NHS access problems.
Dr Crouch said to the crowd “I want to stand with you in this common cause, because we really shouldn’t have to be here.”
“This is a wealthy 21st century country. Yet we’ve seen DIY dentistry that belongs in the Victorian era, with people waiting years for treatments, patients travelling hundreds of miles for care.”
“And as a dentist. Let me tell you, none of this is inevitable.’
‘The facts are that these are the direct choices of successive governments. I don’t need to tell you that this service was in crisis before COVID struck,” Dr Crouch told the crowd
“We have a system, sadly, that only funds, barely half of the population. And so, to those in the other half, the message has been ‘tough luck.’ And as a dentist, I think that’s wrong.”
He continued “Governments have put tick boxes and targets ahead a patient’s care. It’s driven many of my colleagues out of dentistry altogether. It’s what pushed practices in this county over the edge.”
“And as a dentist, I know, we can’t go on like this. We have a system that slaps inflation busting hikes on patients charges, year in and year out. That money doesn’t go to improve your care. It goes back to the Treasury to cover the costs.
Dr Crouch drew applause when he said “We know charges are the wrong way to fund NHS dentistry, it’s not free at the point of delivery. These are designed to make people think twice about attending, it’s another reason why people on modest income, don’t attend if they could find an NHS dentist to see them. These charges aren’t a contribution towards the cost of your care, they are a substitute for decent state investment. And as a dentist, I don’t think you should pay more, so that ministers can pay less.”
The BDA Chair concluded “We know the problems your community has faced for years, and now it’s filling up MPs post bags across the country. It’s making headlines. You’re making headlines, and what you’re doing today is helping to secure the progress that we all need.”
“At Westminster, change is promised ‘to build back better, levelling up.’ Yes, we’ve all heard the slogans, but it will be a measure of whether reforms mean anything, if people gathered here today need to return in the years to come.”
“They’re not asking for much. A service that’s there for you when you need it, a service we as dentists wants to deliver.”
Last month, Toothless in Suffolk drew national headlines when it revealed that one of its members Danielle Watts, removed eleven of her own teeth after she was unable to secure NHS dental care.
Ms Watts, a Bury St Edmunds resident said she last had an NHS dentist six years ago, but the practice she used, closed.
She told the BBC’s Look East TV programme that she went on to develop severe gum disease. She admitted lancing here abscesses with a needle and took strong painkillers. Look East said “But in the end, her solution was drastic.”
Ms Watts insisted that she’d tried to find an NHS dentist, but said “I had nowhere to go. I’ve taken eleven teeth out. “It just got to the point where the gums were so receded, that even just a simple squeeze and they came out. It’s a relief.” relief.
A spokesman said on Sunday that a Turkish dentist had offered Ms Watts a free flight to Turkey so that her dental condition could be addressed.
The BDA expressed its support for the protest and campaign on Twitter.
Today we joined with patients to speak with one voice on the need for real change in NHS dentistry.
— BDA (@TheBDA) October 17, 2021
Ministers promise reform.
It will be a test of whether reform means anything if the families that gathered today need to return in the years to come. https://t.co/JA4Sj3qcQQ pic.twitter.com/EcedJ4qllG
Only last week, MP Jo Churchill, the former Health Minister stepped into the Suffolk dental health crisis and said in a letter she tweeted “I have forcefully raised my concerns at the highest level on a number of occasions regarding the provision of dentistry in Bury St Edmunds.”
The MP addressed her letter to the town’s residents. She said “During my time as a Minister in the Department of Health several areas across the country were reflective of this challenge, from Cornwall to Cumbria and indeed here in Suffolk; I championed them all.”
“Whilst the solutions are not easy, I believe more con be done to ensure residents of Bury and the surrounding areas can see an NHS dentist for treatment.”
Last week, Ms Churchill held an ‘online dentistry summit’ so she could hear the views of her constituents who had experienced difficulties in accessing NHS dentistry.
Mark Jones, coordinator of Toothless in Suffolk said on the group’s Facebook page “Heard only a handful of constituents were allowed to participate in Jo Churchill’s dentistry summit having passed the suitability test.”
One member of the action group who did join Ms Churchill’s virtual summit said “It’s not the first time and definitely won’t be the last, that a member of parliament lies to influence their support.”
“She allowed Suffolk Community Dental Services to be bid and won by Cambridgeshire dental services, therefore meaning the service and way you could refer made it impossible for social workers, support workers and GP’s to do this, thousands of vulnerable adults missed out on this vital service, a bid she supported!!”
Last week, the Eastern Daily Press said “As part of our ongoing investigation into the state of the health service, this newspaper tried to find a dentist taking new NHS patients.”
“We called 75 dentists’ surgeries, in locations including Norwich, King’s Lynn, Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth, Beccles, Dereham, Fakenham, and Hunstanton.”
“None were taking new NHS patients. Almost all said their waiting lists were closed. Less than six said they were taking on new patients but only on a referral basis from other dentists. Ten said they were accepting private patients.”
Mark Jones told the rally about the Toothless in Suffolk’s inception. He said that ‘within minutes’ of the announcement that a petition was planned to address the access crisis “We were bombarded with testimony.”
“All that, you see on our Facebook group - people pulling their own teeth, people even overdosing on painkillers.”
“People are just absolutely distraught - in complete and utter despair. Some have stress and show clear signs of mental health problems due to the fact that they’ve been in pain for so long.”
“The pain is so severe that it’s really caused untold problems with their mental health and well-being.”
Steve Marsling, a campaign co-ordinator of Toothless in Suffolk told the rally “In 1948, an NHS service was set up by Nye Bevan, free at the point of use.”
“Now, in 2021, in the fifth richest country in the world, how has it come to this?”
“It’s an absolute disgrace. And this government should hang its head in shame, because we have gone backwards.”
“All the establishment wants is a slimmed down NHS service that only caters for the very, very poor.”
Mr Marsling said that he had encountered Suffolk residents who had missed mortgage payments because of being faced with large dental bills for private treatment.
He said that during talks with NHS Commissioners “They told us, ‘We might have something in July, 2022.’”
“We told them, quite honestly, ‘That’s not good enough.’”
[Images by Toothless In Suffolk]
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