“The crisis of access and affordability is not just a health crisis, but a social equalities crisis”

Taiwo Owatemi, MP for Coventry North West, said, “This year, the patient charge increased by 8.5 per cent. That is a lot, especially in the midst of a cost of living crisis. How would you say that that will impact patients, especially those who are already struggling to access dental health?”

In response, Sarah Fletcher, chief executive officer for Healthwatch Lincolnshire, said, “Massively. We have been told, time and again, that people are having to make difficult choices—almost impossible choices—between their heating and maybe dental.

“Obviously, dental is then the one that they choose not to go with because they just cannot afford it. We have families that are having to travel hundreds of miles to go to an NHS dentist. They have the cost of that on top of everything else and maybe a day off work. I just think that it will deter more and more people from accessing what is the only available choice in Lincolnshire, which is now private dentistry, just about.”