Shocking numbers needing emergency dental treatment across Cheshire

New official figures expose consequences of lack of access to NHS dentists

An alarming number of people across Weaver Vale and Cheshire need emergency dental treatment in hospital because of a lack of access to NHS dentists, it was revealed today. These urgent admissions are a direct result of patients not having an NHS dentist who is normally able to treat them in an emergency.

·         New figures extracted by the Conservatives show that across the country, 22,000 people had to be admitted to hospital for emergency dental treatment last year. These emergency hospital admissions are costing the NHS £13 million a year.

·         In Halton PCT 216 and  Warrington PCT 147 people received emergency dental treatment in hospitals, costing the local NHS an estimated £128,650 and £98,870 respectively. Most of this has to be borne by already over-stretched A&E departments.

·         This comes as the latest NHS figures show that 7.3% (for Halton PCT) and 7.5% (Warrington PCT) of the population have not been seen by an NHS dentist in the last two years.

Weaver Vale’s Prospective MP Graham Evans Said:  “These figures underline once again the Labour Government’s appalling failure on NHS dentistry.  40% of people across Weaver Valehave been unable to see an NHS dentist. It comes as no surprise that over 350people have been forced to hospital last year for emergency dental care – straining our over-stretched A&E departments still further.

“We need to cut out Labour’s waste and bureaucracy in NHS dentistry and restore access to an NHS dentist to the million who have lost one under this Government.”

Conservatives have announced a series of reforms to NHS dentistry which will improve NHS care. The comprehensive plan proposes:

·         Creating new incentives for dentists to spend more time on preventative dental care, improving oral health and reducing long-term costs.

·         Restoring access to an NHS dentist for the one million patients who have lost it under Labour, by removing costly bureaucracy and cutting out waste.

·         Using money currently spent on carrying out unnecessary treatments to reintroduce dental screening for children in schools.

·         Ensuring that taxpayer-trained dentists work for the NHS for at least five years.

19 June 2009