Ipswich MP hopeful the Government will prioritise dentistry in deprived areas
Just last year it was announced that Waveney Valley was the worst place nationally to get a dentist appointment.
The MP for Ipswich says he's hopeful the Government will prioritise helping those living in the poorest areas with dental issues.
Just last year it was announced that Waveney Valley was the worst place nationally to get a dentist appointment.
In the survey, revealed by the NHS in 2024. showed that the area was the worst in the country for availability of NHS appointments, with one in three people failing to get an appointment in the two years prior.
Labour's Jack Abbott is now calling on ministers to commit to their pledge of enforcing a new Dentistry Rescue Plan.
The plan includes offering an extra 700,000 urgent and emergency dental appointments each year.
Jack told us: "I'm very confident that we see this picture start reversing, it will take some time, we will need to put extra measures in place - like those additional appointments making sure that we're giving support to the University of Suffolk's dental school, whilst doing the long term reform."
"Tooth decay is the number one reason why children are admitted to A&E, this is almost a Victorian level of public service that we're talking about here. This is one of the most pressing priorities that we've got to get on with."
"What we're really seeing here is the collapse of the much wider health care system, and all of the pressure being funnel towards A&E for example."
"I know absolutely how impatient for change people are. I have never seen people so exhausted, so desperate that public services need to start working again for those people. I'm impatient for change too. I think also people recognise that some of this stuff isn't going to be an overnight change"
What does Labour say about it's Dental Recovery Plan?
In it's election winning manifesto, Labour said:
"Getting an NHS dentist is increasingly a lottery and the consequences are dire. The most common reason children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital is to have rotting teeth removed. Labour will tackle the immediate crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most."
"To rebuild dentistry for the long term, Labour will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focusing on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists. We will also introduce a supervised tooth-brushing scheme for 3- to 5-year-olds, targeting the areas of highest need."