Government report on NHS dentistry "orwellian" say Lib Dems
August 7, 2007 2:03 PM
Commenting on the Government report NHS Dental Reforms - One year on published today (7 August), Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb MP said:
"This report is almost Orwellian in its interpretation of the truth.
"It is a total whitewash and will be of little comfort to patients who cannot find a local NHS dentist and is an insult to the many dentists who are forced to turn away patients because of the new contract.
"Although the report accurately identifies the problems of access to an NHS dentist, it claims that the new contract is improving the situation despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary.
"People still cannot find an NHS dentist in many parts of the country and in many cases the new system doesn't provide enough money for dentists to treat NHS patients towards the end of the financial year.
"The Government claim that the contract allows local control over services, yet in its first year, it created a big hole in the finances of many Primary Care Trusts. This will inevitably affect health services elsewhere in the community. The situation will only worsen after 2009 when the dental budget will no longer be ring-fenced.
"We urgently need an independent review of the impact of the new contract with recommendations about how to improve access to an NHS dentist."
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