Currently patients in Penzance, Bodmin, St Ives, Falmouth, and Newquay have just a single practice in Redruth reporting they are able to take on new adult NHS patients - forcing families to undertake up to 65 mile round trips. This situation is mirrored across England, with patients travelling further or waiting longer to access NHS services.
Problems which have long been acute in West Yorkshire are now everyday across England – including the East of England home of Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who last week encouraged patients unable to secure NHS access to embrace private care.
The UK government has yet to honour commitments made since 2010 to make a decisive break from the discredited 2006 NHS contract which effectively sets a cap on patient numbers. Dentists are penalised if they don't hit targets for activity, but are unable to treat extra patients if they want to do more.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Dental Nursing and reading some of our resources. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Up to 2 free articles per month
-
New content available
Already have an account? Sign in here