NEW FIGURES SHOW THAT NHS DENTISTRY IN HEREFORDSHIRE HAS REACHED CRISIS POINT - KEETCH

1.11.31pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 3rd Apr 2006

In the week that controversial new NHS dental contracts come into force across England and Wales, Paul Keetch MP and the Liberal Democrats have published figures showing that the number of people in Herefordshire who are registered with an NHS dentist has already fallen by 15,495 since Labour came to power.

Answers to parliamentary questions tabled by both Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Minister Sandra Gidley MP and Paul Keetch show that between 1997 and 2005 the number of adults registered with an NHS dentist in England decreased by 13 per cent. These figures reveal that the situation in Herefordshire is even worse. In Herefordshire PCT the number of adults registered with an NHS dentist has dropped by 20 per cent between 1997 and 2005.

Commenting local MP, Paul Keetch said "There is a growing decay in NHS dentistry provision, here in Herefordshire and across the country. Things were bad when the Conservatives were in power. They have got worse under Labour, and they are set to get worse still.

"My postbag has been filled to the brim with constituents' concerns over their struggle to find an NHS dentist - I know personally how they feel, both my family and I were thrown out of our dentist."

"In 1999 Tony Blair promised that by 2001 everyone would have access to an NHS dentist. Not only has this not happened - the situation has actually worsened; in 2005, compared to 1997, there are now 15,495 more adults and children in the county that are not registered with an NHS dentist.

"These new figures show that NHS dentistry had reached crisis point even before these new contracts were imposed. Now the situation looks even grimmer for Herefordshire as many dentists are refusing to sign the contract and are leaving the NHS altogether.

"The new dental contracts are not giving local NHS dentists enough confidence to make a long-term commitment to the NHS. It is no wonder the dentists have lost faith in the Government as there was no consultation period for the new contract which many dentists received with only a month to go until the April deadline.

"Many dentists have also had to employ lawyers in order to understand the jargon within the contract and are extremely reluctant to sign something which they don't fully understand.

"The failure to increase registrations through this new contract is an indictment of Labour's failure to restore the NHS to what it should be: a universal, comprehensive service that provides ongoing health care to everyone who needs it."