“People’s dental and oral health is at risk, and NHS dentists are voting with their feet – I want to know what Welsh Government is doing about it” – Sioned Williams MS
Sioned Williams MS has this week asked the First Minister for an urgent update on the dental crisis faced by residents across South Wales West that is resulting in people not being able to get NHS dentist appointments.
The call comes after Public Health Wales recently revealed that more than half of all mouth cancer cases are now being diagnosed at the most advanced stages, with the number of cases in Wales rising each year.
Timely access to regular dental appointments can help to pick up on the early signs of mouth cancer, but in the Senedd on Tuesday (26 November 2024), Sioned Williams MS explained to the First Minister that people in Neath Port Talbot are still finding it difficult to get an NHS dental appointment.
One dental practice in Neath told Ms Williams that “there is a crisis in the NHS dental workforce currently and we are finding it incredibly difficult to find dentists who are willing to provide NHS services.”
Sioned Williams MS raised concerns with the inflexibility around the metrics used in the current NHS dentist contracts, which is resulting in some types of patients being turned away.
Sioned Williams MS, Plaid Cymru Member of Senedd for South Wales West, said:
“My inbox is full of messages from people across Neath Port Talbot who are unable to get an NHS dentist appointment. Having timely and regular access to a dentist is so important, and we know it is crucial to help spot early signs of disease.
“Dentists and their staff are often bearing the brunt of the public’s frustration – and local dentists have told me that they’re frustrated themselves because they can’t serve their NHS patients properly. The way that the government is asking them to prioritise certain patients for treatment means there is a reduction in access for other types of patients. The current contract is resulting in unintended and unfair outcomes, with many patients unable to get an appointment at all.
“The First Minister is not listening and when I brought this up with her this week, she merely reiterated the current policy. There is a crisis in the NHS dental service that is in part driven by contracts that are not fit for purpose. We need reassurance that the new contracts will address this and Welsh Government has a responsibility to provide an urgent update.”