Shocking numbers needing emergency
dental treatment across Norfolk
New official figures expose consequences of lack of access to NHS
dentists
It has been revealed that an alarming number of people across Norfolk need
emergency dental treatment in hospital because of a lack of access to NHS dentists. These
urgent admissions are a direct result of patients not having an NHS dentist who is
normally able to treat them in an emergency.
New figures extracted by the Conservatives show that 22,000 people across the country had
to be admitted to hospital for emergency dental treatment last year. These emergency
hospital admissions are costing the NHS £13 million a year. Within the area of Norfolk
PCT, 219 people received emergency dental treatment in hospitals at a cost of more than
£130,000. Most of this cost is borne by already over-stretched A&E departments.
At the same time, the latest official NHS figures show that an incredible 44% of the
population across Norfolk PCT's area have not been seen by an NHS dentist in the last two
years.
North Norfolk's Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Trevor Ivory, expressed his shock at
the figures saying, "These figures underline once again Labour's appalling failure on
NHS dentistry. With 44% of people in the area of the Norfolk PCT unable to see an NHS
dentist, it comes as no surprise that so many people have been forced to hospital last
year for emergency dental care - straining our over-stretched N&N even further."
"We need to cut out Labour's waste and bureaucracy in NHS dentistry and restore
access to an NHS dentist to the million people who have lost one under this
Government."
Mr Ivory, who recently held a meeting with the Shadow Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley MP
and dentists in North Walsham welcomed Conservative plans to reform NHS dentistry and
improve NHS care.
"Our plans will restore access to an NHS dentist for everyone by removing costly
bureaucracy, cutting out waste and ensuring that taxpayer trained dentists work for the
NHS for a minimum of five years. At the same time, we shall create new incentives for
dentists to spend more time on preventative dental care and reintroduce dental screening
in schools to improve oral health and reduce long-term costs."
Trevor Ivory, Parliamentary Candidate for North Norfolk |
