The National Audit Office has issued a warning that the government’s dental recovery plan is failing to address the deepening crisis in access to NHS dental care, leaving patients unable to receive treatment. The plan aimed to provide an additional 1.5 million treatments in England this year, but key elements of the plan have not been achieved, casting doubt on whether this goal will be met.
The plan, launched in February by the previous Conservative government, has not delivered the promised new fleet of mobile dental vans or attracted the expected number of dentists to work in areas of acute shortage. As a result, the NHS is set to offer 2.6 million fewer treatments this year compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Public and political concern is growing over the lack of NHS dental care, with many patients resorting to DIY dentistry due to limited access to health service-funded treatment. The Patients Association has described NHS dental care as “broken,” highlighting the significant pain and emotional burden faced by those unable to access care. The Oral Health Foundation charity has urged the government to prioritize NHS dentistry before it’s too late.
Labour ministers are working on a plan to address the access crisis, which may include initiatives such as supervised tooth-brushing for young children. The current government has pledged to rebuild dentistry, starting with an additional 700,000 urgent dentistry appointments to help those in need and reforming the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services. The road to improving access to NHS dental care may be a long one, but steps are being taken to address the urgent need for treatment.
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