The government's 200 million dental recovery plan has come under fierce criticism from the opposition party after health minister Dame Andrea Leadsom
admitted that there is a "high likelihood" that it will not deliver 2.5 million dental appointments.
Published last month, the plan is aimed at ensuring easier and faster access to NHS dental care across England, with up to 1.5 million extra treatments expected
to be delivered over the next 12 months. Various new measures were set out to attract new dentists, including increasing dental training places by up to
40 per cent by 2032, as part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
On Tuesday, Leadsom told MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee that the figure was based on NHS modelling of a "complicated set of factors" and there
is "quite a high likelihood of not being reliable as is the case with all modelling."
Preeti Kaur Gill MP, shadow minister for primary care and public health, expressed shock over the admission by the public health minister that there is
uncertainty regarding the plan's ability to deliver on its promises, which she said: "shows the Conservatives are out of ideas and out of time."
The UK government on Wednesday (7 February) announced a new plan to ensure faster, simpler and fairer access to NHS dental care across England.
Supported by £200m of funding, the plan aims to deliver more than 1.5 million additional NHS dentistry treatments or up to 2.5 million NHS dental appointments
for patients over the next 12 months
NHS dentists will be offered a 'new patient' payment of between £15-£50, depending on treatment need, to treat new patients who have not seen a dentist in two
years or more.
Additionally, one-off payments of up to £20,000 will be given to around 240 dentists for working in under-served areas for up to three years.
This is to "attract new NHS dentists and improve access to dental care in areas with the highest demand," NHS England said in a statement released on Wednesday.
In a move to make healthcare more accessible, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced plans to empower pharmacy technicians, dental
therapists, and hygienists with enhanced authority following two public consultations run by the government in 2023.
Revealed by Primary Care Minister Andrea Leadsom on Thursday 28th March, this strategic decision promises to usher in "a faster, simpler, and fairer access to
primary care" by granting pharmacy professionals "the ability to both supply and administer medications".
Based on the public consultations that garnered widespread support, with 97% backing the empowerment of dental hygienists and therapists and 84% favouring similar
rights for pharmacy technicians, the new reform is aimed to cut through bureaucratic red tape and bolster efficiency in patient care.
Dental hygienists and therapists, under the proposed change, will be empowered to administer select medications, including pain relief and fluoride, without the
need for dentist approval.