Parmjit Singh Gill MP asks Health Minister to improve NHS dentist take up

3.58.00pm GMT Wed 8th Dec 2004

Parmjit quizzed the minister about dentists

Yesterday in the House of Commons, Parmjit Singh Gill MP asked the Secretary of State for Health for assurances that the Government is urgently working to engage dentists to come back to the NHS. Parmjit highlighted the growing concern of many people from his Constituency of Leicester South.

This follows worrying figures from one Primary Care Trust in his constituency where the majority of people are not registered with an NHS dentist.

Commenting later Parmjit said:

"These are worrying figures indeed.

"Many of my constituents are concerned by the number of dentists taking on new NHS patients

"The Government needs to brush up its performance on getting dentists back into the NHS. "

Notes to Editors

1. Parmjit Singh Gill MP tabled an Oral Question to the Secretary of State for reply on 7th December: " What assessment he has made of progress with the new contract for NHS dentists? "

2. Parliamentary procedure allows for a supplementary question to be asked following the response from the Minister. Parmjit then asked: " I thank the Minister for his statement. Given that many dentists have said they may still go private despite the new contract, and taking into account that in my Constituency like many others, people are finding it increasingly difficult to access an NHS dentist, what specific steps is the Minister taking to engage dentists in the new contract, to encourage more of them back into the NHS? "

3. In 2003-04 Leicester City West PCT - only 46% of the population are registered with an NHS Dentist. Figures where obtained from a previous Parliamentary Question.

4. Government policy is to re-integrate dentistry into the NHS more firmly than before, including a new contract with NHS high street dentists. Local Primary Care Trusts will be given greater responsibility for general dental services than they had before: provisions in the NHS (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 (which apply to England and Wales) will give them greater legal powers, and financial resources, now worth £1.2 billion and distributed to dentists from a central budget, will be devolved to them. www.nhs.uk

5. The British Dental Association initially welcomed the proposed reforms but later said that nearly 60 per cent of high street dentists would either reduce their NHS commitment or quit the NHS altogether if the reforms went ahead as planned.