Dental patients call for 'long-term' NHS solution

Yvonne Walton said it felt like "banging her head against a brick wall" trying to find an NHS dentist

In the run up to the election, we are trying to look at the issues that matter most to you.

More than a hundred people have already contacted us in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight so far via the BBC’s Your Voice, Your Vote initiative.

An issue raised by many people across the south was difficulty accessing NHS dental care.

Yvonne Walton, 73, from Gosport, told the BBC she lived in an "NHS dentist desert".

She said things changed for her in 2018 when she found it harder to access NHS dental care where she then lived in Surrey.

In 2022, Ms Walton moved to Gosport, Hampshire, with her daughter and two grandchildren.

She said they had been unable to find an NHS dentist for the children, despite ringing all of the surgeries in the area.

Ms Walton explained: “I spent hours and hours ringing round dentists - a receptionist was actually laughing at me. I went online for hours. I’ve tried absolutely everything, I feel like I’m banging my head against a brick wall.

"I would like to hear a long-term answer to the problem, not just a sticking plaster.

"Everybody knows the NHS appears to be broken, but if you don’t look after the population’s teeth, you’re going to cost more further down the line."

Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association, and says issues within the industry started in 2006

The British Dental Association (BDA) is campaigning for a change in the contract.

It said the problems stemed from 2006, when the current contract was introduced.

Chair of the BDA, Eddie Crouch, said: “We’ve got a system where if you don’t deliver the targets, you have money taken back from you by the government and NHS.

"If you over deliver on the contracts you don’t get paid - no business can operate on that model for very long.”

The British Dental Association (BDA) is campaigning for a change in the contract

How the parties plan to tackle the issue:

• The Conservatives have a Dental Recovery Plan. The party said the plan had already resulted in 500 additional practices opening their doors to NHS patients, and created an extra 2.5 million NHS appointments in 2024.

• Labour has a Dentistry Rescue plan to provide 700,000 extra appointments each year. The party said it would recruit dentists into communities most in need, and reform the NHS contract.

• The Liberal Democrats plans to introduce an emergency scheme guaranteeing free check-ups for children, young mothers, those who are pregnant and on low incomes. The party also said it would fix the NHS dental contract to bring dentists back from the private sector.

• The Green Party plans to put £50bn into health and social care, including giving everyone access to an NHS dentist. It plans to reform the contract and pay for it all by increasing tax rates for the rich.

• The Reform party is yet to release its manifesto.

If you’ve got an issue you would like us to explore, contact Your Voice, Your Vote.