This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition Increase funding to ensure all adults and children have access to a dentist.
I cannot find a dentist with capacity to take my family on (after existing practice closed). This is unacceptable. There are no NHS places and even private schemes have waiting lists (and unaffordable one off registration fees).
More details
The Government must review how dentistry is funded and run. The current situation is a disaster.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Related activity
MPs investigate access to NHS dentists
A group of MPs called the Health and Social Care Committee are looking into NHS dentistry, following a survey that showed 90% of practices across the UK were not accepting new adult NHS patients.
The Committee is considering issues including:
- How the Government and NHS England can improve access to NHS dental services
- The need for further reform of the NHS dental contract
- The training, recruitment and retention of NHS dentists
- How to address inequalities in accessing NHS dental services
Read the Committee's press notice announcing this work for more information.
What happens next?
The Committee is going to conduct oral evidence sessions where they will hear from experts in the sector as well as Government and NHS officials.
An evidence session is a hearing where MPs ask key experts, such as Ministers or campaigners, questions on a particular topic. These experts are called "witnesses" and they help MPs to gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
The Committee will then consider all the evidence it has taken and publish a report of its findings with recommendations to the Government on any changes that might be needed.
For more information about the inquiry, visit the Committee's inquiry page.
What is the Health and Social Care Committee?
The Health and Social Care Committee is a cross-party group of MPs that conduct inquiries into issues in Health and Social Care in the UK.
- Find out more about the Committee on their website
- Follow the committee on Twitter for updates on its work
The Health and Social Care Committee is a select committee.
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MPs debate progress on reforms to NHS dentistry
On Thursday 27 April MPs debated progress on reforms to NHS dentistry in the House of Commons.
The debate was led by Judith Cummins MP. Neil O'Brien MP, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, responded for the Government.
The subject of the debate was scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee.
What are backbench business debates?
Backbench business debates give backbenchers (MPs who aren’t ministers or shadow ministers) an opportunity to secure a debate on a topic of their choice, either in the Chamber or Westminster Hall.
MPs can make a request for a debate to the Backbench Business Committee, who hears and decides which debates to schedule.
Backbench debates can either be general debates (which do not end in a vote) or be on a substantive motion (which calls for an action and can end in a vote). This debate was a general debate.
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Government announces plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry
The Government has set out a new plan to recover and reform NHS Dentistry. On 7 February 2024, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Victoria Atkins MP, announced the Government's new plan in the House of Commons, and this was discussed by MPs.
What measures has the Government announced?
The actions the Government has announced include:
- Offering dentists additional payments for seeing and treating patients that haven't been seen in over two years
- Increasing the minimum payment that dentists receive for delivering NHS treatments
- Deploying dental vans to more isolated, rural and coastal areas which will offer check-ups and simple treatments
- Launching a consultation on expanding water fluoridation
Find out more about the Government's plans.
What are Ministerial statements?
Ministerial statements are a way for Ministers to bring an important matter to the attention of the House.
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