Welcome “temporary fix” Cornwall’s NHS “Dentistry desert”   

Local MP and Commons Health Committee member, Andrew George welcomes the Government’s announcement that nearly 11,000 additional urgent dental appointments will be made available for patients in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly this year, as part of a £700,000 investment to address present NHS dental pressures.  

However, he warned that while this is a welcome step, it only scratches the surface of the immediate crisis. He stated:   

” This is a welcome first step, but it’s a temporary fix which will only scratch the surface. The government must now urgently change the nature of the dentistry contract so that it will drive dentists back onto the NHS front line. The best way to do this will be, as the minister is delivering this temporary fix – i.e. through an agreed salaried base. In recent years Cornwall’s ICB has underspent its dentistry budget. So, the problem is primarily one of contractual agreement and administration rather than just funding, though additional funding will be needed to rebuild the NHS service.”

Further information is available on the governments website: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dental-patients-to-benefit-from-700000-extra-urgent-appointments