On Monday [01 July] Wes Streeting, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary and Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Lowestoft, Jess Asato met local residents across Lowestoft and Beccles who have been unable to get access to an NHS dentist.
Streeting and Asato met residents who told horror stories about friends who pulled their own teeth out with pliers and struggles to get their children registered with a dentist, forcing them to go private. Two Dentists from the Dental Design Studio group with surgeries in Lowestoft and Beccles also joined the discussions to give their thoughts on treating patients through the NHS.
The Conservative Dentistry Minister, Andrea Leadsom, has proposed ending NHS dentistry and replacing it with an insurance system, where families will pay an extra £240 a year.
Labour’s plan to rescue and rebuild NHS dentistry will:
- Provide an extra 700,000 urgent dental appointments
- Offer incentives for new dentists to work in areas that need them most
- Introduce supervised toothbrushing in schools for 3-5 year olds, targeted at the areas with the highest need
- Reform the outdated dental contract, so that in the long term, everyone who needs NHS dentistry can access it
Wes Streeting, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, said:
“Local residents in Lowestoft, like the ones I spoke to, are finding it impossible to get an NHS dentist when they need one, with appalling consequences.
“The Conservatives have taken NHS dentistry to death’s door and given another five years in charge, they will kill it off. We already pay taxes for the NHS, but the Conservatives want to charge families an extra £240 a year. If you want to stop the Conservatives’ double dentistry tax under an insurance system, then vote for change with Labour.
“Labour’s Dentistry Rescue Plan will provide 700,000 extra dentistry appointments straight away, and start rebuilding NHS dentistry for the future. The only way to stop the rot and save NHS dentistry is to vote for change with Labour.”
Jess Asato, Labour’s candidate for Lowestoft, said,
“I’m delighted Wes, listened to the experiences of local residents about the terrible access to dentistry in Beccles and Lowestoft.
“I’ve heard so many stories, from residents pulling out their own teeth, to those who’ve had to remortgage to afford private dental care. Labour has pledged to create 700,000 urgent dentist appointments and reform the NHS dental contract.
“We will also offer incentives to dentists to practice in ‘dental deserts’ like ours and I will push for our constituency to be top of that list.”