NHS dentistry report a 'whitewash'
Updated on 07 August 2007
A Government report into NHS dentistry was branded a "whitewash" for failing to properly address patient concerns.
The study will be of little comfort to patients who still cannot find a dentist in their area, the Liberal Democrats said.
The charity Citizens Advice also condemned aspects of the report, saying no extra patients were being seen despite Government assurances that things were improving.
The report, which examined the first 12 months of a new contract for NHS dentists, acknowledged there were still problems and challenges ahead.
But, it said, primary care trusts (PCTs) had now commissioned more services than were delivered in the last year of the old system.
Patient access to an NHS dentist remained "stable" during the transition period involving the new contract, it added.
The local NHS was also using new powers to establish dental practices in areas where previously there were none.
It went on: "Putting right nearly two decades of deterioration in NHS coverage is not the work of 12 months. It will take longer to develop services to a position where all PCTs are able to meet local requirements fully."
The biggest shake-up of dentistry in 50 years was intended to remove dentists from the "drill and fill" treadmill, improve patient access and lead to a greater focus on preventative work. Under their new contract, dentists are paid for carrying out a set number of units of dental activity (UDAs) over the course of the year.
Health minister Ann Keen said the new system had provided "a more secure basis for developing future dental services", adding the "local NHS now has, for the first time, both a statutory duty to provide dental services and the flexibility needed to develop services that fit local needs."
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