NEW FIGURES SHOW FURTHER WORSENING STATE OF LOCAL NHS DENTISTRY

In the week that controversial new NHS dental contracts come into force across England and Wales, new figures published by the Liberal Democrats reveal that since 1997 there has been a 13% drop in the number of adults registered with an NHS dentist in England.

The crisis in NHS dentistry is echoed in Chesterfield where:

31% of adults and 12% of children in Chesterfield are already NOT registered with an NHS dentist; TWO MORE dental practices have now refused to sign the new contract and are leaving the NHS altogether; Only ONE out of 18 local NHS dental practices is taking new NHS patients, and the wait for a new appointment could be as long as six months.

Paul Holmes MP said: "My postbag has been filled to the brim with constituents' concerns over their struggle to find an NHS dentist. There is a growing decay in NHS dentistry provision, here in Chesterfield and across the country. Things were bad when the Conservatives were in power. They have got worse under Labour, and they are set to get worse still. In 1999 Tony Blair promised that by 2001 everyone would have access to an NHS dentist. Not only has this not happened - the situation has actually worsened.

"These new figures show that NHS dentistry had reached crisis point even before these new contracts were imposed. The new dental contracts are not giving local NHS dentists enough confidence to make a long-term commitment to the NHS. It is no wonder the dentists have lost faith in the Government as there was no consultation period for the new contract which many dentists received with only a month to go until the April deadline. The failure to increase registrations through this new contract is an indictment of Labour's failure to restore the NHS to what it should be: a universal, comprehensive service that provides ongoing health care to everyone who needs it."