Sunak says ‘good progress’ made amid warnings about future of NHS dentistry

The Prime Minister’s comments came as a report by the Nuffield Trust said NHS dental care was in ‘near terminal decline’.

Rishi Sunak has been optimistic about the future of dentistry in the UK despite warnings (Rui Vieira/PA) (PA Wire)

Rishi Sunak said a recovery plan for NHS dentistry in England will be published “in the new year” amid warnings about the future of the service.

The Prime Minister said “good progress” was being made in improving dental care but there was “obviously more to do”.

His comments came as a report by the Nuffield Trust said NHS dentistry was in “near terminal decline” and “at its most perilous point in its 75-year history”.

The think tank said access issues, a lack of funding, the pandemic and widening inequalities in oral health was causing a “widespread crisis”.

At the Commons Liaison Committee, Mr Sunak said £3 billion of funding and a reformed dental contract were already making a difference.

The Prime Minister pledged to ‘restore’ NHS dentistry — tweaks to a failed contract and a budget that is unchanged for a decade won’t deliver that

Eddie Crouch, British Dentist Association chairman

“I think the amount of activity this past year is 20% higher than it was the year before,” he said.

“So progress has been made. But, of course, as I’ve acknowledged, there are still things that need addressing, which is why it’s important that we do get the dentistry recovery plan published.”

Analysis by the Nuffield Trust found total spending for dental services was £3.1 billion in 2021-22, a decline of £525 million since 2014/15.

It added that the central budget had been “consistently underspent” in every year apart from 2020-21, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the report, data from the British Dental Association (BDA) estimates NHS dentistry will underspend by about £400 million in 2022/23.

Nuffield Trust chief executive Thea Stein said: “We need to see immediate action taken to slow the decay of NHS dentistry, but it is increasingly clear that we can no longer muddle through with an endless series of tweaks to the contract.

“Difficult and frankly unpalatable policy choices will need to be made, including how far the NHS aspires to offer a comprehensive and universal service, given that it does not do so at present.

“If, as seems, that the original model of NHS dentistry is gone for good, then surely the imperative is to provide enough access for a basic, core service for those most in need.”

The report had made a number of short and long-term recommendations for the Government to consider.

They include short-term resolutions such as increasing the intervals between routine check-ups to one year, recruiting dental therapists from the private sector, investing in preventative care for young people, and targeted work in schools and care homes.

In the long-term, the Nuffield Trust called for the introduction of a fee-for-service payment model and student loans forgiveness scheme for dentists.

It also called for a “huge injection” of funding into NHS dentistry.

Ms Stein added: “Whichever way we go, I’m afraid that NHS dentistry cannot continue without some kind of evaluation of the offer even if there are some major improvements to the way services are contracted and commissioned.”

The BDA said the £3 billion of funding cited by Mr Sunak, who committed to reform NHS dentistry during the Conservative Party leadership contest in summer 2022, was effectively unchanged in a decade.

Eddie Crouch, BDA chairman, said: “The Prime Minister pledged to ‘restore’ NHS dentistry.

“Tweaks to a failed contract and a budget that is unchanged for a decade won’t deliver that.

The Conservatives have left NHS dentistry to wither on the vine, and now the service is barely worthy of the name. Patients are told to go without or do it themselves, with DIY dentistry now shockingly common in Tory Britain

Wes Streeting, shadow health secretary

“We need real ambition. After eight months of waiting, this ‘recovery’ plan needs to pass the Ronseal test.

“It has to give dentists thinking twice about their futures a reason to stay in the NHS. Otherwise, what is the point?”

The Labour Party has its own plans to introduce a dentistry rescue plan if they come into power at the next general election.

It pledged to fund dental practices to provide 700,000 more urgent appointments, as well as incentives for dentists to work in areas with the greatest need for their services.

They would also introduce supervised brushing in schools for three to five-year-olds, particularly in areas with high levels of childhood tooth decay.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: “The Conservatives have left NHS dentistry to wither on the vine, and now the service is barely worthy of the name. Patients are told to go without or do it themselves, with DIY dentistry now shockingly common in Tory Britain.

“The slow death of dentistry is the Ghost of Christmas Future for the NHS, if the Conservatives are given a fifth term – those who can afford it going private, and those who can’t left with a poor service for poor people.”

The blueprint will cost £111 million, Labour said, and would be funded by abolishing the non-dom tax status.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Labour’s sums simply don’t add up – they have spent the same money on six other policies.”