This Council believes that every Gloucestershire resident should have a right to a healthy mouth at affordable NHS rates, and condemns the backdoor privatisation of dentistry by starving NHS services of funds and the dental contracts (Units of Dental Activity) which are not fit for purpose.
This Council is concerned about the quality and cost of dentistry in Gloucestershire.
This Council believes that every Gloucestershire resident should have a right to a healthy mouth at affordable NHS rates, and condemns the backdoor privatisation of dentistry by starving NHS services of funds and the dental contracts (Units of Dental Activity) which are not fit for purpose.
This Council notes that:
- Only 28.6 per cent of Gloucestershire’s adult population had access to an NHS dentist over the last 12 months – far below the English average – along with just 43.9 per cent of children and young people under 18.
This Council therefore resolves to:
- Between 2021 and 2020 Gloucestershire lost over five per cent of its NHS dentists, 316 to 299, and that one in six of the remaining dentists are nearing retirement.
- Not a single dental practice in Gloucestershire is accepting new adult NHS patients. This Council is particularly concerned by the impact of a lack of dental care for children and the impact this can have on the rest of their lives, and vulnerable adults residing in Gloucestershire care homes.
- Lobby the Government and Gloucestershire’s six MPs to tackle the crisis in NHS dentistry and to undertake a wholesale reform of NHS dental contracts to make it more financially sustainable and better structured for dental practices to remain in the NHS system.
- Call on Cabinet to ensure that council services work with schools, care homes and the NHS to coordinate dental visits to the people who need it most – guaranteeing that no child or elderly resident is denied access to NHS dental care that wants it.
- Ask the Health and Wellbeing Board and the director of public health to bring a report to Full Council to explain what they are doing to promote good oral hygiene, specifically in children and young people and our vulnerable residents.
- Ask the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider a report on making Gloucestershire a magnet county, especially for healthcare professionals.