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Lack of access to NHS dentists unacceptable-Burstow
December 3, 2007 12:00 AM
Paul Burstow, MP for Sutton and Cheam, is calling for urgent action to tackle the shortage of NHS dentistry in the borough. A report by the Greater London Authority found that availability of NHS dental care is so restricted in Sutton that no NHS dentists were accepting new fee paying adult patients in Sutton and Merton, meaning that residents would have to travel to another borough to access NHS dental care.
The report, 'Teething Problems: A review of NHS dental care in London', looked at access and funding in NHS dentistry in order to determine what factors are responsible for Londoners failing to visit their dentist despite having more dentists in the capital than in most other parts of the country.
The Report found a number of problems Londoners face in accessing NHS care- including uneven spread of dentists across the capital and the limited opening hours of many surgeries. The report suggests that the biggest barriers to NHS dental care are the cost of treatment, confusion about the cost of treatment and confusion about entitlements to free or reduced cost care.
Commenting on the Report's findings Paul Burstow said,
"It is unacceptable that local people in Sutton are being forced to travel to another borough to find an NHS dentist. The local Primary Care Trust must spell out how what they are doing to improve local access."
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