I am pleased to welcome the Government’s announcement of the NHS National Dental Recovery Plan which will benefit my constituents in the Forest of Dean.
The government’s plan to recover and reform dentistry across the nation is underpinned by the three main targets of ensuring everyone who needs to see a dentist can, prevention from early years and long-term reform.
An additional £200 million on top of the existing £3 billion of funding is to be dedicated to improving dental care nationwide and is expected to create an extra 2.5 million NHS appointments and 1.5 million additional treatments over the course of just 12 months.
These goals are mirrored in our local Gloucestershire Primary Care Dental Commissioning Pan, which aims to encourage easier, faster, and fairer dental experiences for patients and staff alike. The programme intends to reduce the need for urgent support by prioritising dental care for those that haven’t been able to receive treatment in the past 2 years through its ‘new patient payments’ for NHS dentists.
This initiative has proved incredibly successful in Gloucestershire with five practices signing up to the service and after its launch in September 2023, has resulted in an additional 200 appointments per week. Accessibility has also improved drastically with urgent care appointments available at weeknight and weekend clinics across the county through contacting NHS 111 as well as a dental van to ensure NHS provision in more isolated communities.
NHS Gloucestershire will continue to work closely alongside At Home Dental and Public Health colleagues to support the implementation of this programme across Gloucestershire, which also involves educating children from a young age on the importance of good dental habits. At Home Dental encourages children to brush their teeth every day at school under staff supervision and the new service, First Dental Steps, offers advice and dental packs at key stages of dental development (9 and 12 month reviews for children).
I am pleased to see the benefits of the National Dental Recovery Plan already having an impact in Gloucestershire and look forward to seeing its continuous progress and benefits for everyone.