Scottish Liberal Democrats Debate: Addressing the Crisis in NHS Dentistry

Alex Cole-Hamilton S6M-07812 That the Parliament believes that there is a crisis in NHS dentistry; notes that the number of NHS dental check-ups and treatments being conducted are dramatically below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels; further notes with concern that the number of dentists who are carrying out NHS work has fallen in 11 NHS boards, with the chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee warning of a “wholescale exodus” from the sector; understands that most dentists are not accepting new NHS patients and that polling has shown that many of those registered have been unable to get appointments; believes that the lack of government action to resolve this is leaving people in pain and will cause wider mouth health issues to be missed, and calls on the Scottish Government to rewrite the NHS Recovery Plan so that it includes dentistry fully and properly recognises the importance of dentists in the course of the recovery, and to urgently reform the funding structures so that dentists can return to taking on NHS activity and enable more patients to be seen. Maree Todd S6M-07812.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-07812 in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton (Addressing the Crisis in NHS Dentistry), leave out from the first "believes" to end and insert "recognises the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the provision of dental services; thanks all NHS dentists, dental nurses and wider staff for their efforts to provide dental care for the people of Scotland; supports the reform of the NHS dentistry payment system to ensure that the recovery that has been seen in the last year can be built upon; understands that the bridging and multiplier arrangements supported significant increases in activity; notes that, since the start of the pandemic, dentistry has been provided with over £150 million of additional support to sustain the sector; further notes that 95.4% of people in Scotland are registered with a dentist, an increase of 44.3% since 2007; commends the work of the Childsmile programme, which is delivering preventative efforts to improve dental health now and in the future; welcomes the abolition of NHS dental charges for everyone under the age of 26, and supports the removal of all such charges by the end of the current parliamentary session." Sandesh Gulhane S6M-07812.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-07812 in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton (Addressing the Crisis in NHS Dentistry), insert at end “; believes that a root and branch reform of dental tariffs is required to ensure that dentists can holistically manage oral health; recognises what it sees as increasingly worrying reports from dentists of poor child oral hygiene, especially in areas with higher deprivation, and a growing requirement for early tooth extractions, and believes that the Scottish Government’s lack of a dentistry recovery plan will only exacerbate this growing health inequality.” Paul Sweeney S6M-07812.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-07812 in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton (Addressing the Crisis in NHS Dentistry), after “Scottish Government to” insert “provide an update to the Parliament on the progress made in delivering on its Oral Health Improvement Plan, which was published over five years ago,”.