Number of NHS dentists working in Cornwall drops by 25 in one year
Unions have warned NHS dentistry across England and Wales is 'hanging by a thread'
Last updated 20th Jan 2022
The number of NHS dentists in Cornwall has dropped by 25 in the space of a year, as unions warn NHS dentistry in England and Wales is 'hanging by a thread'.
Figures show 260 were completing work in the Duchy at the end of last March, down 9% on the same time in 2019.
Data from England and Wales shows more than 2,500 dental posts were lost across both countries – made up of more than 1,000 dentists, some of whom worked in multiple areas.
At least one town in England has been unable to attract a single applicant for vacant NHS dentist posts for two years.
The British Dental Association (BDA) said unhappiness with the NHS dental contract was a key factor.
NHS England said patients who needed care the most should be prioritised, and said it had set up 600 urgent dental centres across England.
Tammy's Story
We have spoked to Tammy from Bude, who told us she struggled to get an NHS dentist when she started suffering from pain in her gums at six months pregnant.
As a result, the mum travelled around 40 minutes and paid £90 for a private consultation.
Tammy was on maternity leave at the time and said: "It's something that should have been free access to me and unfortunately I had to go private.
"I had to travel 40 minutes for the privilege and I had to pay £90 for a consultation, to be told the symptoms I was experiencing would relieve themselves afterwards but £90 down for that privilege.
"For somewhere like Cornwall as well, where our wages aren't particularly high and a lot of areas are deprived, we rely on that service and to force somebody to go private, it's quite crippling actually. Especially to a young family with a young child - it's not £90 that I had to spare".
Tammy is now concerned about finding a space for her young son: "It's something that all friends and family have discussed and that people are having to travel really far in order to get seen.
"We don't know. We're joking that he's seven-months-old but who knows, with these waiting lists, how long we're actually going to need to wait for and the preparation you need to put in".
"We are now facing an exodus"
The BDA’s Shawn Charlwood warned significant numbers of dentists were planning on leaving the NHS: "NHS dentistry is hanging by a thread, because without NHS dentists, there will be no NHS dentistry.
"It’s a really serious situation and every dentist that is lost or every vacancy for NHS dentistry that remains unfilled affects thousands of patients in terms of care and their ability to access care".
He added: "Every practice struggling to fill vacancies translates into thousands of patients unable to access care.
"Years of failed contracts and underfunding have meant a growing number of dentists no longer see the NHS as a place to build a career. The pandemic has upped the ante, and we are now facing down an exodus.
"Ministers have failed to grasp that we can't have NHS dentistry without NHS dentists. Rather than punishing colleagues, we need a service that recognises and rewards commitment".
"Without NHS dentists there will be no NHS dentistry"
In Wales, 6% of NHS dental posts were lost, with 83 fewer dentists working across health boards than the year before.
Until last year, NHS dentists in England and Wales had been using the units of dental activity (UDA) system.
UDAs are used to measure a practice’s activity. Courses of treatment - for example, a check up or a filling, are banded into UDAs.
Practices are set targets of UDAs to achieve, and if that target is missed, the contract holder and the practice can be forced to pay back money - known as ‘claw back’.
Critics have claimed the UDA system does not incentivise preventative work, and is a key reason for dentists leaving the health service.
Wales moved away from the UDA system in 2020, but the system is still in place in England.
Figures for the number of NHS dental posts lost in Cornwall, England and Wales on the NHS website.