Nearly 600 English Dental Practices Quit NHS in 10 Years as Activity Stays 8% Below Pre-Covid
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 23
Nearly 600 English Dental Practices Quit NHS in 10 Years as Activity Stays 8% Below Pre-Covid
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 23
Summary
More than 1 in 10 English dental practices that once offered NHS care have stopped over the past decade, Nuffield Trust analysis found, deepening fears of a two-tier system.
Loss-making NHS contracts are driving the retreat, dentists said, with some practices no longer taking new NHS patients and others handing back contracts entirely because private work can no longer cover the shortfall.
38% of adults who tried to get a new NHS dental appointment in the last two years succeeded, while six in 10 have not seen an NHS dentist in two years.
Cornwall, Devon and Northamptonshire saw some of the steepest declines, and in Somerset fewer than 1 in 5 practices now offers NHS services, underscoring widening regional inequality.
The government says it is changing the dental contract, training more dentists in underserved areas and will require newly qualified dentists to work in the NHS for at least three years.