John Glen MP praises government's NHS Dental Recovery Plan

Under the plan, patients will benefit from "millions more" NHS dental appointments over the next year. 

Under the plans, supported by £200m of government funding, NHS dentists will be given a ‘new patient’ payment of between £15-£50 (depending on treatment need) to treat around a million new patients who have not seen an NHS dentist in two years or more.

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Salisbury's MP John Glen says he has received "countless emails" from constituents struggling to make appointments who have been forced to search much further afield to be seen for a regular check-up. 

In October 2022, Mr Glen spoke on this issue in Parliament to highlight the challenges faced by those struggling to get seen, and since then, he says he has continued to make representations to his ministerial colleagues. 

John Glen MP at the House of Commons (Image: Spencer Mulholland)

Mr Glen told the Journal: "In January, I visited a dentist in Bishopdown whose service is completely dependent on NHS work. They felt unsupported, and like a large number of dentists, were considering going private.

"Responding to these concerns, we announced our plans to turn the tide on access to NHS dentists with the NHS Dental Recovery Plan. 

"To ensure more dentists can take on more NHS contracts we are investing £200 million to help them recover from the pandemic."

Mr Glen says the plan will see the minimum value of Units of Dental Activity rise by 22 per cent, will incentivise dentists to work in rural or underserved areas with £20,000 golden handshakes, and includes increasing the number of dentistry training places by 40 per cent by 2031/32.

He says together these measures will help deliver 2.5 million more appointments per year.

He added: "We want to recognise the enormous contribution which dentists make to public health by rewarding their hard work and making it easier for everyone to get an appointment. 

"As Amanda Pritchard, NHS Chief Executive, has rightly said, ‘this plan is a significant step towards transforming NHS dental services for the better.’"

Salisbury's Liberal Democrats have criticised the plan, describing it as "too little too late". 

Read more: Salisbury Lib Dems criticise Government's dental plan

It says that figures show 76,611 children in the NHS area covering Wiltshire, Swindon and Bath had not been seen by an NHS dentist in 12 months.

Victoria Charleston (Image: Victoria Charleston)

Liberal Democrat candidate for Salisbury, Victoria Charleston said: “The government’s plans are too little too late for local families who have been left waiting in pain, struggling to get a dentist appointment."