Lib Dems announce £750m package to rescue dentistry

The number of NHS dentists leaving in Berkshire West, which includes Wokingham, has risen by 6% since 2018/19, House of Commons Library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed as the party has announced plans for a £750 million ‘rescue package’ for dentistry.

● The number of NHS dentists in Berkshire West leaving has risen by 6% since 2018/19

● Lib Dems announce £750m plan to offer more NHS dentist appointments and deliver free check-ups for children

● Clive Jones, Liberal Democrat Candidate for Wokingham, says “the Conservative party has pushed dentistry to the brink” and that “children in Wokingham are paying the price for their neglect”

The Liberal Democrat plan would mean around a quarter increase in funding on the NHS dentistry budget in England, which would help reform the NHS contract to encourage more dentists to take on NHS work.

This would act as a ‘rescue package’ for dentistry in Berkshire West as 18 NHS dentists left in 2022/23. The situation threatens to get worse with 13% of NHS dentists in Berkshire West nearing retirement age, creating the potential for even fewer dentists to cope with already overstretched services.

Across England, the number of dentists leaving the NHS has risen by a third in the past four years. A further 3,532 dentists are nearing retirement age, over one in seven (14.6%) of the total dentists in the country.