Dentists accept fewer NHS patients and opt for private practice.
Dentists are leaving the NHS and going private, leaving millions of British people without access to dental care.
According to a British Dental Association poll, 45 percent of dentists have cut their NHS patient commitment by more than a quarter since the outbreak.
According to a poll of 2,200 dentists, 75% are now expected to reduce, or further reduce, their NHS commitment in the next 12 months.
In the midst of a disagreement over the NHS contract, which dentists claim effectively caps the amount of NHS patients they can accept, 45 percent believe they are likely to go completely private.
It follows the revelation. “Overstretched and underpaid, hundreds of dentists have already left the NHS, but many more have begun to sever their links,” said Shawn Charlwood, BDA head of the dental practice committee. This is how NHS dentistry will die, a slow and steady decline that will leave millions of patients without options if nothing is done.
“This government has ensured that many dentists no longer see a future in this profession.” We have little hope of stopping this migration unless immediate change and substantial finance are implemented.”
Today, the BDA will testify before the Health Select Committee on the matter.
It comes as the deployment of Universal Credit coincides with a 1.7 million decrease in the number of adults getting free NHS care between 2015/16 and 2019/20.
